


The Prince's Chaos

by khrG27lover



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: M/M, Warnings May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-05-17 19:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 38,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14837585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khrG27lover/pseuds/khrG27lover
Summary: The youngest prince of Vongola's life is about to become even more chaotic, and filled with chaos.





	1. Bringing About Change

Tsuna opened his eyes, only to find the room he was in hadn’t changed since he had fallen asleep. The stone walls around him look as if they were built centuries ago, with their dingy appearance and the corners crumbling over time. The small window let in just enough light so that he can see, but was placed too high for him to try and escape. The small single bed was placed only a few feet away, not close enough so that he could use it, but far enough to taunt him.

The manacles attached to his wrists, which are chained and mounted to the wall above his head, are a constant reminder that he’s a prisoner here and he would be treated as such. Tsuna couldn’t understand why someone would kidnap him of all people; he was labeled as the Dame Prince by every noble that he had ever heard of.

Kidnapping his brother he could understand. Giotto was the one everyone in court always wanted the attention of. Hell, many practically worshiped the ground he walked on, but not him, he was the one they would walk on to get to his brother.

The light from the window gave the room a golden glow, something that he had noticed the first time the sun had risen on his first morning here. When he had been at home, it was normal for him to still be asleep during this hour, but being here made it a necessity to awaken before the sun. 

The first couple of days here, he forced himself to stay awake during the night, but on the third night he passed out, when the sun had set, from exhaustion. Waking up on the fourth day unscathed, he decided it was clear that it was safe enough to sleep during the night. 

It was during that time that he had been allowed to use the small lumpy, old smelly bed. It had been moved out of his reach during the first week, when he had tried using it to climb up to the window, in a bad and failed attempt to escape. After looking outside, it only confirmed that he didn’t know where he was and that he was kept in some tower on what he guessed was the hundredth floor. 

Tsuna stared across the room, looking at nothing and yet appeared as if he was staring at the far wall. He had gotten into this routine a few days ago, he would wake up, relieve himself, return to his spot against the wall and stare at nothing. Without looking up or turning his head, he knew that the door had opened. It wouldn’t have surprised him if the nobles in court had hired someone to kidnap and get rid of him. 

The sound of a light tapping against the stone floor gets closer, and he tries his hardest to raise his gaze to see who was delivering his food this morning. The one who always looks angry or the one who gives him soft smiles. The only real similarities between them being that they’re dressed in black and their hair seems to be up in the same style. The light sound of something clattering against the stones tells him that something has been placed down within his reach.  _ ‘Probably breakfast.’ _ he thought.

The room goes silent as neither of them say anything, but the one who brought him his food stood only a couple feet away. The brunet somehow managed to keep himself relaxed, and yet on the inside, he was scared that the other man was going to do something. After another minute, he felt something, maybe someone’s hand, tap his head. It was light and in no way abusive, which surprised him, since no one had dared touch him for the entire time he had been here. The light tapping of the person’s shoes could be heard a second later, signaling that they were leaving the room. 

Tsuna didn’t know what had possessed him to lift his head, but he did and the man didn’t seem to notice or care as he didn’t bother to turn around as he closed the door behind him. The brunet reaches out and pulls the tray closer to himself, seeing the meal that they brought him today; toast, milk, eggs and a cut up orange. Every meal that he received while being here had been one fit for someone of his position, which always seemed to make him wonder as to why he wasn’t being treated the like prisoners he read of in his books. 

He started eating, making sure to enjoy each bite as if it would be his last. The only noise in the room was of him chewing and the light clattering of his cutlery against the plate. He mulled over everything that had happened the night he was taken and how he ended up in this tower.

* * *

The room was filled with dozens of nobles. The party had been going on for the past two hours and didn’t seem like it was any closer to ending. The only light in the room came from the torches hanging along the walls, each burning with different colored flames; red, blue, green, yellow, indigo, purple and the brightest burning flame of them all: orange. It was obvious to Tsuna that his brother and his knights had cast their flames to bring light into the party. No one else in their home could light flames that strong. 

Everyone in attendance was excited, jealous and all over curious about the announcement that was to take place at the end of the party. Tonight Giotto is announcing to the court who he is going to be marrying on his next birthday. Tsuna was proud and happy for his brother. Instead of telling their father and mother first, his brother had spoken to him about it, and as far as Tsuna was concerned, the couple was a perfect match. 

“It’ll be the Dame Prince’s turn next.” Tsuna looked out the corner of his eye to see a man, who he believed to be Lord Kozato.

“Yeah, right. Who would ever want to marry him?” The wide grin on Sir Sabouro’s face made the brunet feel uneasy.

“No one. The Dame Prince will be alone forever.” It was easy for Tsuna to recognize the man laughing as Lord Ichiro, as his harsh laughter sent a shiver down his spine.

When he had heard the sound of the nobles talking, Tsuna reached out to take a glass of wine. His hands, he noticed, felt strangely warmer than they had moments ago. He figured that the extra heat was from all the bodies in the room. He wasn’t all that surprised to hear what the nobles were saying about him. Over the years he had gotten used to them talking about him behind his back. He decided to do what he had always done, ignore them.

“Tuna-fish. Don’t hide.” The brunet turned at the sound of his father’s voice, to find the King standing beside him. “This is a celebration.” His father was nothing but an endless smile since his brother announced that he was getting married. “You are happy for Gio aren’t you?”

“I am, father.” Tsuna turned to see his brother talking with the nobles, his fiance standing by his side unbeknownst to everyone. He smiled as he watched the two talk, well his brother seemed to be doing most of the talking with the crowd around them. “They are happy together.” The young prince couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of his brother, as the crown prince discovered his flames at the mere age of ten, and yet, the brunet still hadn’t made a single spark. 

The young prince couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of his brother, who had excelled at everything for as long as Tsuna could remember. He could remember hearing how the crown prince had come into his flames at the mere age of ten and yet he still hadn’t made a single spark at the age of seventeen. It was also easy for his brother to make friends and get along with others, while he had been on his own all his life. “I can only hope that I’ll find someone who will love me.” Tsuna muttered to himself.

King Iemitsu smiled down at his son, while trying to hide the sadness in his eyes at the thought of his youngest getting married. He didn’t want to talk or think about his Tuna-fish falling in love or leaving them. “I’m sure you will.” Iemitsu held back the tears that were threatening to spill down his cheeks. “You still have time, before you have to worry about any of that.” 

The smile on Tsuna’s lips disappears at his father's words, as sadness took over.  _ ‘Why? Why do I have to wait to be loved? Why do I have to remain alone?’ _ The young prince watched as his brother continued to mingle with the guests, his smile never leaving his face.  _ ‘Why can’t I have what Gio-nii has?’ _  His father, not hearing his mental plea of endless questions, had wandered away to rejoin his mother who was talking to a man dressed in a black suit. It was obvious to everyone in the court that his father trusted his wife completely, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t prone to jealousy at the sight of any man he saw near her. 

The young prince remained tucked away in the corner, watching the nobles as they gossiped. His brother and his fiance were still moving about the room, every once in a while they would be joined by one of his friends. The young prince didn’t envy his brother in the slightest, as he had a hard enough time holding one conversation let alone the barrage headed toward Gio. Gio on the other hand, had been raised to hold many conversations amongst large groups and taught tricks to avoid slip ups. 

_ ‘I doubt anyone would notice if I left.’ _ Tsuna’s gaze moved over the room, finding that no one really seemed to be paying any attention to him.  _ ‘No, I promised Gio-nii, that I would be here for the announcement.’ _ Tsuna reminded himself. He spotted his brother talking with his knights once again, each one seemed either worried or angry about something.  _ ‘I could step out for a few minutes.’  _ Tsuna convinced himself.

The brunet stepped towards one of the glass doors that would take him outside and onto the veranda, which would then lead him to his mother’s flower garden. As he reached the door, one of the guards that is watching over the room stopped him.

“I’m sorry Prince Tsunayoshi, but the veranda is off limits.” the guard warned him.

The young prince tried not to cringe at the mention of his full name. “Come now Turmeric. I’ve told you before to call me Tsuna.”  He stared up at the man in question and smiled as innocently as he could.

Turmeric looked down at the young prince, doing his best to fight off the urge to smile in return. “Forgive me my prince, but I’m unable to do as you request.”

Tsuna nodded his head. “I understand.” 

“Now where are you off to?” Turmeric’s gaze moved back to the rest of the room.

“I just wanted some fresh air.” Tsuna stared up at him, using an almost pleading tone.

Turmeric let out a sigh, before nodding his head. “I can only give you a couple of minutes my prince.”

“Thank you Turmeric.” The young prince stepped around him, opened the door just enough so that he can sneak through without being seen and left the party. 

Once outside he took a deep breath and basked in the calm, cool breeze. It was a perfect evening to be outside staring up at the stars, or in this case a perfect night to hold an engagement party. He moved away from the door and the noise of the party truly enjoying the silence of the night.  _ ‘A short walk shouldn’t hurt.’ _

The young prince didn’t hesitate to walk into the large flower garden, that takes up most of what one would call their backyard. As Tsuna moved amongst the flowers, he guessed that his brother would be making the announcement in a couple of hours. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to last that long among the nobles as they continued to talk about him as if he wasn’t there. An hour would be hard enough, as he was already tired of standing alone with no one to talk too. Usually, the young prince would stand with either G or Asari when he was forced to attend parties, but they both seemed rather busy and never seemed to be standing in the same place too long. 

Tsuna hadn’t been walking long before he heard the sound of rustling coming from one of the bushes that he passed. Hearing the noise caused him to freeze in place, as the only ones allowed in the garden were those in the royal family. He clenched and unclenched his fists in a vain attempt to fight off the fear that was starting to take over him. All of his instincts were screaming for him to run, while his crazy intuition was telling him to stay where he is. 

The young prince would love to start running, the only problem was that his heart beat so fast that he couldn’t take a single step. He turned slightly and the sight before him calmed him, as he found the area empty except for the flowers. _ ‘Thank goodness. I was scared there for a moment.’ _ As he started turning around once again to continue his walk, he felt something cold hit him at the back of his neck.

He felt himself being lifted up off the ground which was odd, as he didn’t even remember collapsing. His vision had turned black, a sure sign that he was more than likely passing out. “Don’t make a sound or I’ll bite you to death.” There was a short pause as he felt his body being shifted, due to his carrier starting to walk. “Let’s see how long it takes them to figure it out.” the voice of his carrier chuckled.

* * *

Tsuna pushed the now empty tray away from him, no longer seeing a point in keeping them nearby. Ever since his arrival here, he never heard the man’s voice or felt the dark presence that he seemed to possess.  _ ‘Is it possible that I imagined it?’ _ The question plagued his mind many times and each time he ended up with the same answer: he hadn’t imagined it. Since he didn’t have anything else to do, Tsuna figured he might as well take a nap to help pass the time. 

The young prince did his best to lay down on his side with the chain wrapped around him. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he heard the door handle start to turn. Tsuna laid there stiff against the stone floor, scared of not knowing what was going on. The only time anyone ever entered the room was to bring him food and they only took the empty dishes when they brought him his next meal. The door slammed open and the sound of multiple pairs of footsteps echoed throughout the room. It was hard for him to keep himself from opening his eyes, especially since the footsteps held a strange sense of urgency compared to the usual calm steps he had grown accustomed too.

“Shit.”

“Is he still alive?”

“How the hell should I know idiot?”

“Maa… Maa… It doesn’t matter. We have to get him out of here.”

As Tsuna laid there on the stone floor, he was certain that he recognized each voice. Ever so slowly, he opened his eyes and stared up at the three men standing over him. “G-san? Asari-san? Lamp-san?” His mouth was dry despite the milk he had drank moments ago. His voice was scratchy from not being used for who knew how long. 

G bent down beside him and ruffles his hair. “Hey kid.”

“We’ve come to take you home Prince Tsuna.” Asari’s voice sounded cheerful, even though it was clear that he was anything but.

The young prince moved to sit up with G’s help and stared up at Asari, who gave him a kind smile. He tried to say something in return, only to be cut off by a noise out in the hall. 

“I extremely can’t find Prince Tsuna!”

“That idiot priest.” G muttered, before placing his hand around the young prince’s shoulders, helping him stand.

“Hold on G, we’ve gotta get those chains off.” Asari stepped forward and starts picking the lock with a small knife that he removed from his belt. 

“Hurry up. Lampo-sama doesn’t like it here.”

“Then why did you come idiot.” G said in annoyance, though his gaze never left the young prince. 

Tsuna was surprised that the green-haired knight was here. As long as he could remember, the young knight preferred to stand back and let the other knights deal with any fighting. Tsuna didn’t bother saying anything as he was used to their bickering, which always seemed to occur whenever they were both in the same room. The young prince stared down at his wrists just as Asari removed them. It was obvious that he was going to have two large bruises from the manacles. He looked up at Asari and smiled, though it had went unnoticed as the knight in question was staring down at the chains still in his hands. 

“We really need to get going.” G moved forward, Tsuna had to step quickly so he wasn’t dragged towards the door. “Idiot. Go get the idiot priest and lead him back to the front of the building.”

“Lampo-sama doesn’t take orders from you.” The green haired male pouted and walked out of the room to do as instructed despite his protests. 

Tsuna took another step, his left arm wrapped around G while his right hand holding the wall. His wrists were killing him, he managed to stop thinking about the weight of the manacles as long as his hands rested against the ground. He took another step and turned when noticed that G wasn’t walking any longer. 

“Oy, we gotta go.” G stared at the happy go lucky idiot in confusion. 

Tsuna stared at Asari who was gazing down at the manacles in confusion, only to jerk his head towards them when G had yelled at him.  _ ‘I wonder what’s wrong?’ _ He watched as the taller man releases the chains, letting them fall to the floor and bang against the floor. 

“Yes, let’s get out of here.” 

“You go first.” G gestured Asari to go first, a single look shared between them which went unnoticed by Tsuna. 

Once Asari had walked passed them, G had started walking and if the young prince hadn’t started walking at the same time, he would have ended up being dragged. By the time that they got to the door, Tsuna stumbled forward and if it wasn’t for the fact that he was being held up by both the wall and G, he would have collapsed. Every time that he spared a glance towards the redhead, he could see that he wanted to ask him millions of questions. _ ‘Please don’t G, I’m having a hard enough time walking.’ _ As if sensing his unease, G focused on walking them down the hall. Tsuna noticed that it seemed that they were starting to walk a bit faster as if they were on some sort of schedule. 

Tsuna stared ahead, trying to take notice of everything around them. He was finally able to get a look at the place, since he had been placed in that room when he first arrived and never got to see outside except for the high window that let light into his cell. The more he looked around, the more he seemed to notice that there was just one problem. The brunet was seeing everything in double. No matter where the young prince looked, he saw two of everything and that was including both G and Asari.  _ ‘I’m okay. I just have to keep moving.’  _ Just as he moved to take another step, he was pulled back and bumped into someone. He glances up to see the look of worry on G’s face. “Yes?” Tsuna asked.

“Kid.” G’s eyes seemed to move all over as if looking for something and the more he saw the worse the look in his eyes got. “You’re exhausted.” Tsuna was surprised by that, and before he could say anything, G had cut him off. “How about I carry you for a bit?”

Tsuna was surprised, and knew that it was probably the best option, but he still shook his head. “No. I can do this.” he refuted.

“No you can’t kid. You’ve almost walked into the wall twice and fallen on your face I don’t know how many times.” Tsuna stared at him, since he didn’t even notice any of that, he was too busy trying to look around and maybe figure out who had taken him. “Come on kid, you need to rest and we need to get you out of here.” Tsuna knew that G wasn’t trying to scold him, but rather get his point across and Tsuna didn’t really have the fight in him to argue like he normally would. 

“G’s right, Prince Tsuna.” Tsuna turned towards Asari who was standing only a few feet away. “You need rest and you might as well sleep when you can.” 

The young prince stared up at the smile on the man’s face, though it was merely a mask to cover the worry over his well being. Tsuna slumped his shoulders in defeat and simply nodded his head, not seeing the point in a fighting a losing argument with him. “Alright.”

G smiled at him. “Help me get him on my back. Then you go back to acting as guard.” 

Tsuna let them move him as required in order for him to get onto G’s back, he noticed that they were being careful as if expecting him to have injuries that they couldn’t see. It took them no more than a couple of minutes to get his arms around his neck, and his legs around his waist. As soon as he placed his head against G’s shoulder, and closed his eyes, he was certain that he heard G say something but he didn’t know what as he had already passed out. 

* * *

Tsuna woke up the first time in a carriage, with his brother sitting across from him. He watched as the crown prince rolled his shoulders, though his gaze never left the window beside him. He closed his eyes, as the swaying of the carriage was making him dizzy. He thought he had heard his brother say something and possibly touch his arm, but before he could ask what was wrong he had fallen back to sleep.

When he woke up this time, he found himself lying in a bed staring up at the ceiling. The young prince didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but he at least knew where he was. He was home. If it wasn’t for the bruises on his wrists, he would have thought everything had been a dream.

Tsuna moved to sit up, his joints felt sore and painful as he continued to move. He screamed out when the pain had gotten worse than he could stand. The young prince collapsed back down when he started feeling dizzy. It took him a few minutes for his eyes to start focusing on the ceiling after his head hit the pillow. When he was ready to try again, he moved slowly and once he was balanced on his arms, the door to his room was busted open. 

The first person to his bedside was his mother who wrapped her arms around him and cried on his shoulder. Tsuna was almost certain that she had been apologizing about something. It was impossible to hear from her sobs as her voice was muffled by his shirt. His father was the next one at his bedside, tears streaming down his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around the two of them in a tight hug. His mother was full on wailing at this point, her body shaking as she let herself cry. His father started shushing her, as he began rocking them back and forth, as he continued to cry. 

The next ones to enter where his brother and his fiance. Giotto gave him a partial smile, before sharing a look with his fiance and burying his face into his shoulder. Tsuna gave a weak smile in reassurance, but he figured it had gone unnoticed as the two were no longer looking at him. G and the rest of his brother’s knights were the next to enter, followed by a couple of guards to the young princes surprise. The brunet noticed that Turmeric was not only among them, but had remained near the door, while the others stood a foot away from his bed. The older guard also seemed to be avoiding his gaze, which was a little odd. 

Tsuna wasn’t sure what to think, as he gazed moved over everyone in the room. The young prince sat there, letting his parents coddle him like a small child, knowing full well anything he said would go unheard by them. In the past, Tsuna had always believed that he was a hindrance to his brother, since he enjoyed being in his company. He could remember asking Gio once if the crown prince found him annoying or if he was in the way, and he had been answered with a single, no. 

He looked to his brother in a silent plea for help, which was answered with a kind and yet sad smile. The brunet looked at the others in the room, hoping that one of them would rescue him from his parents who couldn’t seem to stop crying. Everyone in the room, averted their gazes and avoided eye contact with him.  _ ‘What’s going on with everyone? Do they regret coming for me?’ _

“Tsu-kun.” The queen’s whimpering voice sounded near his ear. He turned so that he was looking at her. “Are you alright Tsu-kun.”

Tsuna smiled and hugged his mother, but let out a squeak from the pain.  _ ‘What in the world happened?’ _ The entire time he had been captured they had left him alone in solitude, never laying a hand on him once.  _ ‘Why am I in so much pain?’ _ He wanted to know the answers to those questions, but the one that came out when he opened his mouth was a different one. “How long was I out?”

Everyone in the room shared a look, as if figuring out how to answer him. “Well… You were out for a while.” His brother was the one to answer his questions, but he almost seemed hesitant to answer him. 

The young prince gave a slight nod of his head, finding that it felt stiff. “I was tired.”

“More like you were out for a few months.” 

Tsuna turned the best he could when he heard the familiar voice of Doctor Shamal. The man in question was someone that the young prince considered strange, as Shamal believed that treating men was pointless and that females were his highest priority. Which made the young prince even more surprised by his appearance here. “What happened?” 

“Well…” The crown prince starts scratching the back of his head, his cheeks turning red as he turns his gaze away.

He turned his gaze towards G when he heard him sigh. G was leaning up against one of the many bookshelves that covered the entire length of his room. “I carried you out of the room.” The brunet nods his head, remembering that G had carried him. “We made it all the way to the exit, where these blockheads were waiting for us.”

“Who are you calling a blockhead Pinky?” Knuckles voice raises as he speaks, 

“Yeah, Lampo-sama is the smartest one here.”

“More like the dumbest.” G muttered, but not quite enough as it only started another argument amongst them.

“Maa… Maa…” Asari raised his hands in a vain attempt to calm them.

Tsuna watched as his brother ignited his flame, before taking a step towards the others. The young prince turned his gaze away, before he could get memorized by the flickering flame, something that always happened whenever he saw it. The brunet stared down at his own hands, where he could feel a slight warming feeling, like a soft hum which he didn’t really understand. ‘I wish I could do something like that.’

“Will you idiots shut up.” The entire room went silent, and everyone looked at Doctor Shamal. “The patient needs quiet. I have a date later and want to get him checked out before then.” Tsuna turned when he felt Shamal’s gaze on him. “And you, leave your questions till after I get your check up done.”

The young prince nodded his head. “Sorry.” While he did consider the man strange, he truly was the best and if he was the one treating him he didn’t want to anger him. 

“Now all of you out.” Everyone seemed reluctant to leave the room, as if expecting him to up and disappear from their sight. “You can come back in when I’m done.” His father had to carry his mother out of the room, as she was more than against leaving him on his own. His mother had even went as far as to bring up his birth and how she had already seen him naked. Tsuna’s cheeks a dark red at his mother’s antics. 

* * *

His time with Doctor Shamal had gone by rather quickly. The entire time Shamal had asked if he felt light-headed or like he was going to throw up. The young prince found it rather strange that he was being treated like he had a concussion, but the more he thought about it the more it made sense, he had been asleep for a few months after all. Shamal had even gone and explained to him about all his injuries, but he refused to say how he got them. According to what he had been told he had returned home with a couple of broken ribs, a gash on his arm which had left a scar and a few minor cuts on his leg. 

Once Shamal had left, the door was opened and only Giotto, his fiance and his knights walked in. His brother sat down in the chair that was positioned beside his bed, something he noticed during his checkup. Giotto’s fiance stood behind the chair, with his arms crossed. G sat down on the side of his bed, keeping a distance from him as if afraid that he’ll hurt him. Asari took the chair on the other side of the bed, which made him raise an eyebrow as he didn’t know when the chair had been placed there. Lampo stretched out on the auto-man, looking quiet content and as if considering taking a nap, Knuckle stood near one of the many bookshelves in his room, specifically the one that was close to the door. Daemon stood near one of the large bay windows, looking completely relaxed, and from the smile on his face, he was clearly enjoying whatever was going on his head. 

Tsuna looked at them, finding that a lot of the tension they had the first time they had come in with his parents had disappeared. His gaze flicked between his brother and G knowing that one of them would cave sooner or later. Once he heard the redhead sigh, he knew who was most likely going to answer his questions. “So what happened?” 

He watched as G scratched his head, causing his bright red hair to become a big mess and stand up at weird angles. “After we left the room we were ambushed by a group of thugs. The idiot…” The brunet turns his gaze towards Asari as soon as G points to him. “Took care of them, but one managed to knock me over, so I ended up dropping you.” The young prince’s gaze never leaves the redhead, even as he scratches the back of his neck and looks away in embarrassment. “Sorry. After we finished them off, I grabbed you and we continued on. This idiot…” Tsuna flicks his gaze towards Asari once again for only a moment. “Almost ran into a wall.”

The young prince turned towards Asari who was smiling happily, though he did have a slight blush on his cheeks. “Really?” 

He flicked his gaze back to the redhead beside him. “Oh yea he did.”

“You don’t have to tell him those things G.” Although he could hear the happiness in the man’s voice, Tsuna was well aware that he was trying to laugh off his embarrassment. 

“A short time after that, those two idiots…” The brunet flicked his gaze over to Knuckle, who turned his gaze away and Lampo, who was clearly a sleeping without a care in the world. “Came running out of a closed room. That’s how you ended up getting the head injury. The stupid priest banged the door open, which is how you ended up with the concussion.” 

“I’m EXTREMELY sorry.”

“Shut up idiot. You’re hurting the kid’s head.” The young prince hadn’t realized that he was rubbing his head, where he could feel a slight bump. He quickly turned his gaze down to his lap, and quickly deciding that the first thing he was going to do after talking to them was to take a shower. 

“Sorry, Prince Tsuna.”

“It’s okay.”

“After that…” Tsuna turned towards Asari when he heard him speak. “The three of them got into an argument and then it started to sound like the building was being destroyed.” The brunet stared at him, clearly waiting for him to say that he was joking. “So we ran out of there.” The smile on the man’s face was clear that he had been serious. The young prince was starting to doubt their abilities to make good decisions. “We met up with Prince Giotto and the others around that time, only to find a single guy standing near the carriage.”

The brunet started playing with the sheets, as the warmth in his hands started once again. He didn’t know what was causing it, nor was he sure that he actually wanted it to stop. It was like it gave him some piece of mind and it had given him something to focus on when he had been held captive. Tsuna looked towards G when he felt the redheads gaze on him, neither of them said anything, they simply watched each other. The urge to know what the man was thinking was there, but at the same time he didn’t want to break the silence. The look he was getting from G also told him that he actually just staring out into space, as he was busy trying to figure something out. 

“The cuts are from broken glass.” Knuckle speaks up, and from his tone Tsuna could tell that he was agitated with the silence. “The cut on your arm wouldn’t have been so bad, if Pinky hadn’t dropped you.”

G’s eyebrow started twitching. “Don’t blame me, it was Giotto who caused me to drop him.” Tsuna turns from the redhead towards his brother, who was busy staring at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing he has ever seen.

“Who took me?” The brunet asked the question that was driving him crazy since the first time he had woken up in the small stone room. 

The entire room fell silent at his question, each one of them took a moment to stare at one another. “Ah, well…” The young prince stared at his brother, waiting for him to continue. “Father really doesn’t want you to know.”

“Why?” 

“He’s afraid that you’ll have flashbacks about the trauma from while your there.” Giotto answered truthfully, and staring back at him. 

“I have a right to know brother.” He stared harder at the crown prince, who was starting to fidget in his seat. 

“It was my cousin.” Alaude spoke up for the first time. Tsuna stared at him in surprise, confusion and curiosity as to what he had to say. There was a long pause in the room, until he heard the tall blond let out an annoyed sigh. If there was one thing that the brunet liked about the man, it was that he always knew how to avoid his endless questions by telling him everything. “He wanted a rematch from our last fight. He’s been asking me for a while now.” The blond looked away from his gaze, before continuing. “I’ve been busy here, so it's been easy to avoid him. He got annoyed. It seems he was simply planning on taking someone from the royal family. He didn’t care who it was, he said that he would have returned them after the rematch.”

Tsuna stared at his hands as he felt the warmth strengthen, as if in hopes of relaxing him. “He would have taken Kaa-san?”

“Yes if given the opportunity.” It was Daemon’s voice that answered him, and he didn’t lift his gaze from his lap. 

“Don’t worry kid. He would have never been given the chance.”

“She’s guarded more than anyone.” Asari’s voice was calm and sounded like he was trying to reassure him. 

Tsuna knew that everyone was trying to calm him down and reassure him that his mother was safe. Even after hearing them say it, he couldn’t stop hearing the voice in the back of his mind.  _ ‘He would have taken Kaa-san.’ _ It echoed over and over again, like a never-ending recording.  _ ‘I won’t let anyone hurt my family.’ _ The young prince was so wrapped up in his own mind that he hadn’t noticed that his hands had grown really warm. It wasn’t until he felt someone hug him that he focused on what was going on around him and saw that his hands were covered in bright orange flames. He looked over to see that his brother was the one hugging him tightly and praising him. “This is my flame?” The brunet knew that his statement came out more like a question, but at the moment he really didn’t care all that much. 

“Yeah” His brother broke out in tears. 

“Those stupid nobles won’t be able to call you dame after this.” From the sound of his voice, Tsuna knew that G was happy for him.

“Way to go Prince Tsuna.” Asari was smiling, and looked truly happy.

“You're a burning orange.” Knuckle wasn’t yelling thankfully, but his voice was still sounded slightly loud in the quiet room as each person was taking a turn praising him.

He heard a yawn, from the far side of the room and when he turned he saw Lampo sitting up with only one eye open. “Your burning brighter than Giotto-sama.”

“Nfufuf… You possess a strong flame.”

“Hn. The melon-head speaks the truth.” 

Tsuna looked back down to his lap, where his hands were currently resting.  _ ‘A flame stronger then Gio-nii?’ _ He could remember seeing his brother’s flame and how it enchanted him, he never imagined that there would be a flame that was stronger than his brothers.  _ ‘Could it be possible?’ _ He could remember reading in numerous books that after traumatic events, could lead to strengthening a person’s flame. There had been only a couple of times noted in each book all about the same person, that something like that had occurred but nothing really noteworthy popped up in his head when thinking about it. He silently watched as the flames flickered and then went out leaving his hands feeling warm but quickly cooling down. He knew for one thing for sure and is that this is going to bring about change in many ways to his life. 


	2. Talking with Family

 

Tsuna walked down the hall. Today marked the one year anniversary of when he had been brought home. All of his injuries had disappeared, leaving only a couple of faint white scars. It was during that time, he hadn’t been able to call on his flames. He had been trying endlessly, even going as far as to ask his older brother Giotto for help. Even with the two of them working together, Tsuna was still unable to get a single spark. He had officially decided that he wasn’t destined to wield his flames and that the one time had simply been a fluke. 

The young prince wasn’t going to dwell on something that he couldn’t change. Instead, he began focusing on more important things. His brother had discussed and convinced his father that he would make a good advisor. The brunet wasn’t sure if he wanted to take up such an important position, but he had promised both of them that he would at least try it out. After everything that had happened in the past, he wanted to at least try and make his family proud. The brunet opened the old well used leather bound book and began flipping through its pages and settling on the first page he found with writing. 

* * *

 

_ Before the Vongola was named a country, it had been made up of seven different farmlands. The land was fruitful each year, leaving the farmers with plenty of food to sell and trade with travellers and merchants. After a single year, the farmers found themselves getting threatened by nearby settlements, the newly formed countries of Arcobaleno and Millefiore.  _

_ It was around this time that a mercenary caravan had been travelling passed Millefiore. The farmers offered half of their harvest for protection from those threatening them. The mercenaries accepted with the promise of not leaving until the problem was solved.  _

_ After 600 days of fighting, the mercenaries were finally able to settle the conflict with the two countries. It was in the early stages of those years’ harvest. Shortly after the farmers had finished planting did they begin to worry. There had been no rain for almost two months.  _

_ As the scorching heat continued for months, the more the farmers prayed to Carmina, the goddess of harvest, in hopes that the goddess would answer their prayers by sending them rain. To their dismay, the rain didn’t come. In fact, the heat only got worse, making the farmers ration what they had left from the year before. Between the ten mercenaries, the seven farmers and their families, the rations didn’t last them very long.  _

_ The elderly and young children were the first to become ill. It was ten days after that the sickness claimed its first victims and those in their prime started to feel the effects of the sickness. Only those who had just entered or were close to entering adulthood had come down with a cough.  _

_ After twenty days, the only ones that survived were those who only had a simple cough. Not a day later did the goddess, Carmina, finally answer their never ending prayers. It had finally started raining. It poured for sixteen days and nights, finally ending the drought that lasted almost a complete four months.  _

_ The four remaining mercenaries who had survived the illness were Aurelio Sawada, Cesari Hibari, Luca Spade and Gasparre Gokudera. They remained on the farmland to ensure that the three young adults who survived as well would have enough food to survive.  _

_ At the end of the harvest and the cold season came, it was the three young adults who hadn’t completely recovered from the draught who had quickly gotten ill. It was then that Sawada Aurelio, who was the oldest of all of them, was given the lands by the oldest of the young adults. All they asked of him, was that they work hard to make the land prosper and grow.  _

_ It took thirty years of hard work, but Aurelio could gladly say that he had kept his promise. Not only had the lands continued to grow and remain fruitful, but they considered themselves lucky that the next drought lasted only twelve days. _

_ Thanks to the help of Cesari, Luca and Gasparre, their little settlement had begun to grow. Over time more people moved onto the land, helping them cultivate it, which made it easier for the three of them. It was around this time that Luca began talking to them about creating their own country. Aurelio didn’t believe that their town would ever expand large enough to be called an entire country. _

_ At the age of forty, Aurelio had a wife, a five-year-old son and a town that was growing. He quickly realized that if it continued to grow, then perhaps it was time to consider calling themselves a country, Gasparre and Cesari quickly agreed with him.  _

_ Aurelio’s son, Simora, helped them come up with multiple names, and the one they had chosen was Vongola. It is believed that the name had come from the original shape of the country, but no one knows for sure. _

_ At the age of sixty, Aurelio had been crowned king of the country and he ruled for ten years before he passed away due to poor health. _

_ His son, Simora Sawada, took the throne not two days after his father’s death when the ceremony of mourning had ended. _

_ After living a peaceful life, King Simora died in his sleep at the age of seventy, leaving behind his wife, Diela, and thirty-year-old son, Fabio. _

_ During King Fabio’s first year wearing the crown, he had found it hard living up to his father and grandfather’s legacies. Thirteen years after the Queen had given birth to his daughter, Daniela, war broke out between the countries of Vongola and Millefiore.  _

_ The war lasted only three years before the King of Millefiore left Vongola. No one really knows the reason behind why the King of Millefiore waged war against the country.  _

_ At the age of eighty, King Fabio handed the crown over to his only child, the twenty-year-old Daniela, when he had become ill and didn’t believe that he would survive the summer months. _

_ Queen Daniela’s marriage to the third son of King Zaccaria Chiavarone not only saved the country of useless fighting but also created an alliance with them and opened the chance for trade. After much discussion leading up to the wedding, Vongola’s future king agreed to change his last name Chiavarone to Sawada, so that Daniela could keep her promise to her father Fabio and ensure the family name continued on. _

_ After six years of marriage, Queen Daniela was happy with the way the country was prospering. It also helped that during those six years, she had given birth to a son, Timoteo. She handed the crown off to her son when Timoteo turned twenty so she could enjoy whatever time she had left watching her son rule the country. _

_ Two years after King Timoteo sat upon the throne, he had gotten married to the love of his life. A year later, his son Fredrico was born. Four years after that, his second son, Erico, had been born. Two years later, their third son, Massimo, was born. Three years passed and, to both the Kings and Queen’s surprise, they had a fourth son, Iemitsu. When King Timoteo thought his family was complete, the Queen surprised him once again with yet another son, Ricardo. The Queen had explained that, while she loved all of her sons, she had been hoping for a daughter. _

_ When Timoteo had turned sixty, a dispute with the country Arcobaleno had quickly advanced to a full out war. His eldest three sons went against his orders and joined the fighting, all of them believing that they had to prove something to their father, only to lose their lives instead.  _

_ The war between the countries lasted five long years, and while the country of Vongola was able to hold its own against them, it was obvious that their way of fighting was very different. After the death of his sons, King Timoteo wanted to see the end of the war more than before, so he could grieve for them properly. _

_ The Kings of both countries began talks of peace and possible trade with one another, as the country of Arcobaleno wasn’t having much luck with their crops because they spent so much time developing tools and other technologies to make their lives easier. The country Vongola was the opposite; while they had no problems growing their crops, despite their late start when they had no rain, they had little to nothing available to them to ensure they were advancing like the other countries. _

* * *

 

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, at the messily two pages of script explaining his family's history. “That’s it?” He flipped the page hoping to find more written, but for some reason, it appeared as if the remaining pages had been torn out.  There was a knock at the door before he could answer the door opened. He looked up to see his father’s assistant Oregano came in. 

The young prince had looked up from his book when she approached him and said that the King had requested his presence. Normally he would refuse since his father normally only ever talked about meaningless stuff with him, but the look in her eyes spoke of something serious, which left him no way to refuse. 

That had been thirty minutes earlier, and if Oregano hadn’t entered the study, he would still be pouring over old texts. That, of course, was the reason why he was in the hall and not in the study. Tsuna spotted at least half a dozen maids moving about, cleaning and decorating, preparing the place as if they were expecting company. It made him wonder. No one in the past few days spoke of them having guests. The brunet stopped walking in front of large double doors, which sealed off the King’s office and study from the rest of their home. The young prince wasn’t sure why he had been called, nor did he know who was behind the door. 

The brunet ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand up even more if that was even possible with its natural fluffy spikes. He took a deep breath, steeling himself before knocking. The sound echoed down the hall. The young prince suddenly had the sudden urge to flee. He couldn’t remember a time when their home had even been so quiet. Which made him wonder where his brother and his knights were. They were usually the cause of all the noise.

The door opened, making him stumble back. He came face to face with Oregano and Turmeric, both giving a slight nod before walking out and holding the door open for him. Tsuna walked into the slightly dim room. The sun had begun to set and no one had litany of the torches in the room yet. He was surprised to hear the sound of his father crying. When he turned to look, he saw the king clutching onto his wife. ‘What in the world happened?’

The young prince sat across from his father, making himself comfortable in one of the two empty chairs in front of the old wooden desk. The mere sight of all the disarray of papers across the desk caused his eyebrow to twitch. The brunet wasn’t a neat freak or anything of the sort, but when it came to important papers, that was a completely different matter. As if sensing his displeasure at the sight before him, he could hear his mother's voice softly speaking to his father.

“Tuna-fish.” His father turned his head towards him and all that the brunet could do was wait for the news that he was about to be told. His father’s lower lip trembled and tears continued to run down his cheeks. He took a few deep breaths in attempt to calm himself. “Your mother and I have received an...interesting request.” His father’s attitude did a complete flop from being a crying baby to that of a man who wanted to pillage and kill something.

“It was just a letter, dear.” His mother rolled her eyes and lightly shook her head at his father’s antics all the while a soft smile lingers.

“Yes. A letter.” His father clenched his teeth in disgust at just having to speak about it. “It just contained some interesting things.”

The young prince hated when his father did this. He hated the go-around he would do instead of just telling him straight out. It was one of the many reasons why he preferred talking with his mother or brother about important matters. ‘Would he just get to the point?’ He had turned to his mother, hoping that she would understand his silent plea and annoyance with his father.

“The main subject of the letter is a request for your hand.” His mother’s voice was happy, but the young prince had picked up some subtle tones of worry in it as well.

Tsuna’s eyes went wide from shock. ‘Who would want to marry me?’ He opened and closed his mouth. It seemed he lost the ability to speak.

“Your father and I have spoken about the letter’s contents.” He watched as his mother rubbed his father’s back, who had taken up staring at the top of the desk. “We have agreed and decided that it would be best to accept the request.”

“No, we both didn’t.” His father slammed his fist against the desk, making the papers along the edges fall to the floor. “I’m against this! Tuna-fish isn’t ready to start receiving these types of requests!”

The young prince sat there in silence while his parents argued in silent whispers. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t just tell him or let him read the letter himself. Even though they were trying to be quiet so he wouldn’t hear, their voices still bounced off the walls.

“Allied.”

“Protection.”

“Trade.”

“Marriage.”

“Consequences.”

From just those few words, Tsuna had been able to piece together a bit of what they were talking about. ‘We’ll be allies and will be given protection and trade in exchange for my hand in marriage. If we refuse, there will be consequences.’ The room was suddenly filled with silence, which made him turn towards his father in question. To his surprise, he found his father staring at his mother with his mouth hanging open.

The queen was standing only a few feet away from his father, her hands resting on her hips. Tsuna knew that stance. She used it on him a couple of times when he refused to do something she wanted. It was quite well known in their home that she wasn’t one to be trifled with. “Well?” She raised an eyebrow, waiting for her husband to answer.

His father slumped his shoulders. “Yes, dear.” Tsuna shook his head at how fast his father had given up. “Tuna-fish.” The young prince looked at his father, only to see him sitting straight, his hands clasped and resting on the top of the desk. “You have to understand, the country really needs the support.” The young prince found himself confused. It was as if his father had skipped over half the conversation. “Do you understand, Tuna-fish?”

“No.” Tsuna raised an eyebrow in question.

His father let out a sigh and dropped his shoulders. “Your mother has already written a letter in response to this person’s request, stating that you accept.”

‘What?’ The brunet stared at his parents in surprise. “Don’t I get a say in any of this?”

“No, Tuna-fish.”

“I know your not happy, Tsu-kun, but I’m certain that you will grow to love your fiance in time.” His mother’s voice was shaky as if she herself was having a hard time speaking. “I did include in the letter that if after two months of meeting him if  you don’t find yourself happy or you truly don’t believe that you will fall in love with them, you have the right to cancel the engagement.”

Tsuna stared at his mother, seeing the sincere smile on her face. ‘She really believes that it’s the best thing for me.’ The young prince nodded after a moment in acceptance, knowing that there was no way that he was going to be able to change her mind. Everyone in their home knew that the queen’s decisions were always absolute. The king had seen to that.

“Excellent.” Tsuna heard his mother clap her hands together as if finalizing it. “We’ll hold the engagement party in two months.” Her voice sounded happy, yet it still sounded like she was going to cry, trying to cover it up with a heavy dose of excitement. He wasn’t sure if it was the thought of his engagement or the chance to hold another party that prompted the joy.

‘At least one of us is happy.’ Tsuna didn’t voice his opinion as he didn’t want to upset her. He joined his father in watching her tick things off on her fingers as she walked out of the room.

“I’m sorry about this, Tuna-fish.” The brunet turned his attention to his father, who didn’t look happy or overjoyed like his mother. “It was your mother’s idea to go through with this.” His father stood up from behind his desk and took the seat beside him. “I tried everything to convince her that we don’t need this alliance. Your mother kept insisting that this would make you happy.”

Tsuna stared at his father. “If you wanted to know what would make me happy then you should have asked.” He stood from his seat. “How about everyone stops treating me like I’m broken. Or how about you all stop treating me like a child.” The young prince started walking towards the door. “It’s been over a year since I was kidnapped, and yet you all still treat me like I’m going to break down at any given moment.” The brunet placed his hand on the door before looking over at his father, who was clearly surprised by his outburst.

“You want to make me happy? Start treating me like an adult.” He opened the door and let it close behind him. The young prince was almost certain he had heard his father say something about him going through a rebellious phase. Tsuna walked down the hall, but to anyone who may have seen him thought he looked like he was marching. After the meeting with his father, all he wanted was the comfort of the books and silence he would find in the study.

When dinner time came, one of the maids came to inform him that the food had been served. He happily declined, not wanting to the talk or listen to the planning for his engagement party. The maid simply nodded her head, understanding what he was going through and how he didn’t want to be in the same room as his parents. A short time later, the maid returned pushing a cart holding his dinner.

“I brought you your dinner.” the maid said quietly before turning to leave.

“Thank you.” Tsuna pulled his gaze away from the pages of the book he was reading and gave her a kind smile.

The maid had turned a bright red from the sight before turning around and moving towards the door. “I’ll come fetch the dishes later.”

After that, she had left him alone to his own thoughts. He placed an old worn bookmark against the page and placed the book beside him. His dinner consisted of a large grilled fish, steamed vegetables, a large helping of rice. The portions were twice the amount that he normally ate, which made him wonder who had dished it all. The cooks knew he wasn’t a big eater like his father and brother. The young prince was only able to eat a quarter of the amount of the plate, which was only half of what he normally ate. The thought of his upcoming engagement made him lose his appetite.

The brunet picked up his book and continued reading, sipping the hot green tea that was brought up with his dinner. He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn’t hear the maid come back into the room, nor did he hear her leave. From the few noises he had heard her make, he was certain that she wasn’t happy about how little he had eaten. The rest of his evening was filled with the light singing of the few birds that called in the trees outside his room while he silently finished one book before starting another. At some point, he had moved and was lying down on the small automan.

* * *

Tsuna woke to the sounds of loud banging and VOI’s coming from somewhere in his home. That only meant one thing, his cousin and his knights were here. The usual birds that would be singing were silent. They had likely flown off from all the noise. The brunet rolled over, only to fall off the automan and bang his elbow against the floor. He lay on the floor, rubbing his elbow, before getting up and going to his room, where he got cleaned up and changed his clothes. Once done, he went downstairs to join his cousin, Xanxus, and his friends. Tsuna couldn’t wait to hear what Xanxus had to say about his engagement.

The brunet opened the door to the dining hall, which was where all the noise was coming from. The usually clean room looked more like a war zone now. There were bullet holes and knives stuck in the walls. The once large table that could fit twenty people, possibly more, was smashed into pieces. The chairs were sliced into pieces, except for one, which was where Xanxus was currently sitting. The paintings that hung on the walls were sliced up. Nothing in the room had survived the destruction.

“VOOOOIIIII!” The silver haired banshee screamed, who the brunet knew as Squalo, swinging his sword around, not caring about the destruction that he was creating.

“Shi, shi, shi, the Prince is bored.” The short blond haired with a crown, better known as Belphegor, was twirling a knife around his finger.

“No one cares, baka-prince.” The monotone voice belonged to none other than Flan, who was busy plucking knives out of his large frog hat.

“I’m going to kill you, frog.” Bel threw a hand full of knives at the teen.

“Come now, boys.” The flamboyant voice belonged to none other than Lussuria, his bright colored mohawk falling forward into his face as he tried to clean up the fallen debris.

“No one cares what your saying, gay man.” Flan’s voice echoed against the walls as he continues to drop more knives onto the growing pile that formed on the floor.

“VOOOOIIIII!” Squalo swung his sword around. “Shut up all of you.”

A bottle of wine crashed against the wall, just barely missing Squalo’s head.

“VOOII!” Squalo turned towards the assailant. “You bastard, you almost hit me.”

“Shut up, Trash.”

Tsuna knew everyone in the room, but there was only one that he wanted to see and talk to. He carefully moved about the room, making sure to step around the pieces of wood and glass that was littered around the floor. He walked towards his cousin, moving out of the way to dodge knives that were flying through the air. It took a second for anyone to notice that he was even in the room. When he reached his cousin, he stood in front of him, waiting for the other to open his eyes. After a couple of minutes, he realized that the older male was sleeping. “Ano…Xanxus?”

At the mere mention of his name, the scared man’s eyes opened and stared up at the brunet, who had started fidgeting. “Brat.” It was as if the mere mention of the word, made all the idiots in the room turn and begin to focus on the young prince.

“Voi, you haven’t grown an inch.”

“Hello, Princess.”

“Hello, baka-prince’s future wife.”

“Good morning, Tsu-chan.”

Tsuna turned to the others in the room, who thankfully didn’t rush him like they normally did. “Good morning, everyone.” He had quickly got used to the crazy way that they greeted him. The young prince had given up trying to correct the blond, who seemed to enjoy mistaking him for a girl. It didn’t take long for the young male in the frog hat to start doing the same, mainly to annoy the blond. He spared a glance at the table. “So…Why did you destroy the table?” The room was quickly shrouded in a blanket of silence.

The sound of the door opening drew everyone’s attention, just in time to see Giotto, his husband and his knights walk in, talking amongst themselves until they noticed the disarray the room was currently in. They moved further into the room, just in case someone was to try to enter the room the last thing they wanted was to get hit by the door. The silence in the room stretched until a pissed off redhead opened his mouth.

“What the hell have you idiots done?” G moved his arm towards the destroyed table and chairs that were lying in bits at their feet.

Tsuna turned away from his brother and towards his cousin, watching Xanxus close his eyes and pretend to sleep. The rest of the Varia, which was how his cousin’s knights were known amongst the nobles, remained silent, enjoying how G’s face turned even redder from anger. The young prince started feeling bad for the redhead and decided to ask his question once again. “What happened to the table?”

“Shi, shi, shi, the prince and the banshee were bored. Shi, shi, shi.” Bel laughed as if it was some kind of big joke.

“It’s not funny, dumbass. Now we don’t have a table to eat breakfast on.”

“VOI! That’s not our fault.”

“Yes, it bloody hell is. You’re the idiots who destroyed it.”

The room fell silent, just as the door to the dining room opened again and everyone turned just in time to see the king and queen step into the dining hall. Tsuna stood there, waiting for one of his parents to explode over the destruction.

“Oh dear.” The queen lifted her hand to cover her mouth in shock and then covered it up for the smiling that came a moment later. She then turned to the maid that followed them into the room, one that Tsuna hadn’t even noticed at first. He recognized the maid as the one who had served him dinner last night. “Inform the kitchen that we shall be having breakfast in the great hall.”

“Yes, your Highness.” The maid quickly turned and left the room.

“Come, everyone. Our breakfast will be served soon.” His mother turned and walked out of the room.

“I’ll deal with everyone involved with this…” The king waved his hand around the room. “Later.” His father then left the room, all of them to follow after him.

“What’s got them in such a good mood?” His brother’s voice echoed through the empty room.

“Voi, they’re seriously creeping me out.’

“Shut up, Trash.” Xanxus stood up from his seat and started walking out of the room.

“Wait for me, stupid boss.” Squalo followed behind his cousin.

“Good morning, Tsu-kun.” Giotto was suddenly standing beside him. Tsuna jumped when he heard his brother’s voice and how close he had gotten without him realizing it.

“Morning, Gio.” He couldn’t bring himself to smile like he normally would.

The crown prince placed his hand at the base of the brunet’s back. The blond started guiding him towards the door, since the little brother didn’t seem to have any motivation to leave their current room. “They’re acting kind of weird, don’t you think?”

Tsuna spared his brother a glance before turning away. “Yeah.” He couldn’t seem to bring himself to tell his brother what their parents were planning.

It didn’t take Giotto any time at all to know that something was bothering his younger brother. It was the brunet’s voice that gave him away. It was one that sounded uninterested and was only really used when Tsuna was told he had to attend court functions. “Is something wrong?”

The brunet looked at the blond, but didn’t have the energy to answer him. It was like seeing his mother’s smiling face had zapped away any chance of him having a good mood or the energy to really do anything. Instead, he just continued walking, and ignored the waves of guilt that began to flood his stomach from not answering.

They arrived at the grand hall where his father, mother, cousin, and his knights were already sitting around a large spacious table. His brother’s knights, however, had remained standing, waiting for his brother to arrive. Tsuna moved around the table, sitting down in an empty seat a distance away from his cousin’s knights, just in case they end up fighting. His brother took the seat across from him with his husband at his side and his knights taking whatever seat that they wish. It wasn’t long before their breakfast was placed on the table.

“Gio.” Their mother called from the far end of the table, drawing her older son’s attention. “Has Tsu-kun told you the news yet?”

The blond had lifted his head to look at his mother when she had called him. He had quickly reverted his attention to his brother when she asked him the question, not sure what she was talking about. “No, he hasn’t.”

Tsuna stared down at his breakfast, not wanting to acknowledge his brother’s stare or any of the stares he was getting from everyone else at the table. ‘Thanks a lot, mother.’

“Our little Tsu-kun is engaged.” Once again the brunet noticed that his mother’s voice sounded happy and a little excited.

“What?” Tsuna knew Giotto was shocked just from the sound of his voice.

“What did you say?” Xanxus was the next to speak up, the venom in his voice clear to everyone except for the queen, who seemed to simply ignore it. The Varia members were aware of how protective he was over the brunet, even the two members that currently weren’t with them.

The queen simply ignored her nephews question. She seemed to be happy about having the chance to talk about her youngest engagement. “We’ll be announcing it to the court and holding the party in two months.”

“Little Tsu-chan is all grown up.” Lussuria was crying, though only the queen paid him any attention, who started talking with him about all her plans for the wedding. Tsuna was certain now that his mother’s excitement was from the chance at being able to hold another party.

Bel looked annoyed and angry about the announcement, clenching his teeth in silent anger at the thought of someone else marrying the brunet. The ill-tempered blond had asked the princess multiple times in the past, despite the threats and bullets shot at him at merely mentioning his plans to the others. Tsuna, of course, had refused him each time with a smile and a bright blush on his cheeks, which only made Bel want to keep the boy for himself even more.

“What are you talking about, kaa-san? I’m sure if Tsu-kun had met someone he would have introduced them to the family first before getting engaged.” Giotto looked between his family, hoping that one of them would clearly state what was really going on. He was well aware that if his overly shy brother had indeed met someone, then he would have told him. The two of them were so close that they didn’t really have any secrets between them.

Tsuna sat there silently, knowing that there were numerous people watching him, expecting him to say something. He had given up eating when his mother had brought up his engagement, and resorted to just pushing his food around his plate.

“What your mother says is true.” Their father spoke, and from the tone of his voice, he still wasn’t happy about the news. It was easy for everyone in the room to realize that he was only going along with the decision to keep the queen happy. “Tuna-fish’s engagement shall be announced in two months and it's been decided that he will be married on his next birthday.”

The room fell silent, each one letting their minds process the news. The only noise that could be heard was from those who were eating, and the lively chatter of the queen and king speaking.

It didn’t take much longer before Tsuna couldn’t stand the silence or the worrying looks coming from those sitting around the table. The brunet placed his cutlery down on his plate, giving up in his failed attempt at eating. “Thanks for breakfast.” He said to the maids, who were casually standing around the room, waiting for orders. The young prince stood up and walked towards the door, ignoring the calls from his family as he walked out of the room.

Tsuna only stopped walking when he stepped out on the veranda and gazed out at the garden. The many gardeners were busy plucking weeds and pruning the flowers. He was undecided about going to the study to read about someone else’s life or staying here in the fresh air, where his thoughts could run wild. The young prince let out a heavy sigh as he stepped into the garden, passing by the workers who wished him a good morning. He made sure to wish each one a good morning in return and a small smile in hopes that they would believe that he was in a good mood.

He walked through the flowers, moving towards the center of the garden where a small gazebo had been built. This was his second favourite place. It was a great place to read during the warm times of year. Tsuna sat down on the small stone bench at the back, which let him gaze out at the fields of flowers. The young prince didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, before he started hearing his brother’s voice calling him.

“Tsu-kun.” The brunet turned to his brother, who stepped into the gazebo, before he turned back to the flowers. “Are you alright, Tsu-kun?”

Tsuna shook his head to answer his brother’s question. “I don’t even know who this person is.”

“Then why are they saying that your getting engaged?” The blond sat down beside him.

“It’s an arranged marriage.” The young prince glanced at his brother, curious of what his reaction would be at the news. “Whoever it is sent them a letter requesting my hand.”

“Crap. Who is it?” Giotto clenched his fists, realizing now why his little brother has been so standoff-ish from everyone.

“I don’t know. They never said.” Tsuna could feel the tears sliding down his cheeks.

“Have you tried talking to them?” The crown prince placed his hand on the brunet's shoulder in comfort.

“Yes, when they told me yesterday.” Tsuna let his tears fall, not caring who saw him or what they thought. “Mother’s made up her mind. My only hope of getting out of this is, after I’ve been engaged to them for two months, I can somehow convince our parents that I’m not happy, but mother seems so hopeful that I’ll go through with it and I don’t wish to upset her.”

“I’ll do what I can to make them rethink their decision.” Giotto pulled his brother close and lent him his shoulder as he cried. He never once thought of his brother as being weak. In fact, he was the strongest person he knew. Most people would have crumbled under the scrutiny of the nobles, but not his brother, who stood tall even after years of their prodding and torment. “Don’t worry, Tsuna. You’re not alone. I’m sure Xanxus and the Varia would do anything they can to help.”

Once the brunet had seemed to calm down, Giotto slowly started putting distance between them so that he could see his little brothers face. He wiped away the tears on his cheeks. “I have to go. I have a meeting with father and a couple members of court.”

“Oh.” Tsuna reluctantly sat back, releasing his grip on his brother’s shirt. “Of course. Don’t let me keep you.” He started wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt. “Your work is important.”

“You’re important to me too.” Giotto ruffled his hair. “Don’t think too hard on it. I’ll help you get through this.” The crown prince stood up, knowing he had no choice but to leave his brother to deal with his thoughts on his own.

Tsuna sat there, staring at the flowers, paying little to no attention of the comings and goings of those in the garden. He didn’t even seem to notice that the wind had picked up, nor did he notice that it had started raining at some point. When the brunet finally got tired of staring at the flowers, he made his way back to the house and it was then that he noticed that it was raining. He quickly ran to the building, getting completely drenched either way. Engaged or not, he was still going to try and become the advisor Giotto deserved. After all, he owed a lot to his brother and his knights.

The young prince made his way to his room where a bath and change of clothes were the first on his list. After he was dressed, he made his way back to the study, were his great grandfather’s journal was waiting for him. 

* * *

 

_ Three years. Three fucking years.  _

_ Our countries have been at peace since my father’s reign and then that idiot king decides to wage war against us. Yet after three years of death and endless fighting, what does he say: “It’s best if we stop fighting.” Like what the hell! You’d think he would have changed his mind after like the first few months, at least during the first year, but no. “There’s really nothing for me to gain if we continue.”  _

_ What was the point of waging war against us then? It’s like he was using us as some kind of entertainment. How twisted does someone have to be to wage war against a country for entertainment?  _

_ I don’t know if we’ll be able to salvage the remains of the battleground and return it to its original state in time for the next planting.  _

_ It's hard to believe that my little Daniela is turning sixteen in a few days. I fear that it won’t be long before I begin receiving letters asking for her hand. I will have to watch over her more. My dear queen, Celia, says that our daughter is already gaining attention of male suitors.  _

_ At least I have three more years before I have to worry about the chance of her getting married. _

_ Just three more years.  _


	3. A Promise of Pain

The past two months had gone by so fast, in that it felt like no time had passed at all. Tsuna had been dreading this night, and now that it was here, he wanted to hide away. The last few hours he had paced back and forth in his room until he started getting nervous and decided to stand by the window instead. The weather outside was perfectly suited for tonight's affairs, a light breeze making the leaves flutter and the moonshine lending the surrounding area an unearthly glow.

His mother had arrived hours ago with a suit that she had made for him to wear tonight. The young prince had hoped that he could have worn a suit from his closet instead. There were many he still hadn’t worn. His mother gave him a stern glare when he spoke of his choice of dress. And he, of course, changed into her gift. He wasn’t sure how he was going to blend in amongst the nobles, yet hide from them at the same time in this white suit.

Tsuna was well aware that the guests were already starting to arrive and were more than likely already starting to gossip. From the information that he had gotten from the maids, his fiance hadn’t arrived yet. He was glad that he had a few moments of silence before he had to go down to the party himself. Tsuna was going to take any time that he could get if it meant that he didn’t have to listen to the nobles talk about him behind his back. They were worse than children sometimes with their snide remarks and constant name calling.

The young prince turned just as the door to his room opened. The bright light from the hall obscured his vision and made it impossible for him to make out who it was at his door. His room was dark, the only light coming from the moon shining through the window.

Giotto walked into the room, his eyes focused on the ground to avoid walking into anything. The crown prince couldn’t understand how his younger brother could navigate around in the dark. “Tsu, why are you standing in the dark?”

“I didn’t see the point in lighting the candles.” Tsuna spared his brother a glance just as the blond tripped over the leg of a chair.

“Ow, that hurt.” Giotto stood up and rubbed his leg. He raised his hand and an orange flame sparked to life. The room took on an orange glow as the flame covered his hand. “So this is where your hiding?” The blond joined his younger brother by the window.

“I’m not hiding.” Tsuna remained silent, not really wanting to answer his brother.

“Sure, you’re not.” The crown prince placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “So, if you're not hiding, then why aren’t you at the party?”

The young prince slumped his shoulders. “I’m just not ready to go down yet.”

“Don’t be scared. You won’t be alone.” Giotto felt his brother stiffen under his hand. “I’ll stay with you.” The crown prince patted his brother’s shoulder, understanding that half of his uneasiness was due to him meeting his fiance for the first time.

Tsuna looked up at his brother, not believing his words as the blond was normally crowded by the nobles the moment he entered to when he left. “Really?”

Giotto easily heard the uneasiness in the brunet’s voice. “Yes, Tsu-kun. I wouldn’t let you endure tonight alone.” He placed his hand on his back and started to lead him towards the door without him noticing.

“Okay. I guess we can head down then.” Tsuna started walking, so wouldn’t have to Giotto drag him anymore.

* * *

 The party had started hours ago and would probably continue on for many more. Tsuna instantly recognized most of the people in the room as members of the court. They had looked excited when they had spotted his brother entering the room, but their smiles disappeared when they spotted the brunet. Giotto kept his promise and stuck to his side for the past couple of hours. Anyone who approached them was waved off and told that he would speak with them at a later time.

The double doors to the room opened and a woman walked in, dressed in a white and orange dress, a large white mushroom-shaped hat on her head. From the size of the hat, it was easy to miss the short dark hair. The doors opened again and two men in suits entered, breathing heavily as they spoke to her, before escorting her down the two small steps. As she walked, her right hand rested on her stomach. From the size and shape, it was clear that she was more than a few months pregnant.

The young prince watched as she walked straight to his parents to share pleasantries like all the other guests did upon their arrival. After a short time, she started walking towards him, unlike the other nobles who went straight to join the other members of the court. Tsuna rubbed his hand against the legs of his pants. They were starting to sweat. _‘I can do this. It’s just simple pleasantries.’_

Giotto noticed his brother’s nervousness and the approaching woman. He patted his back in reassurance, dropping his voice to a whisper. “You’ll be fine.”

Tsuna gave him a silent nod in thanks before he focused on the woman who stopped just in front of him. “H-Hello.”

The woman gave him a kind smile. “Good evening. Are you Prince Tsunayoshi?”

The young prince was surprised by the woman’s kind voice. He usually received malice and venom from the nobles. “I-I am.” He nodded before he signalled towards his brother. “This is my brother, Giotto.”

“Good evening.” Giotto smiled at the woman, thankful that she appeared different from the others in attendance.

“Good evening.” The woman turned her attention back to the younger prince. “Prince Tsunayoshi.”

“Y-You can just call me Tsuna.” The younger prince wasn’t really fond of his full name, he much preferred the shorter one. He was surprised that she even knew his full name. Not many did or used it. Most referred to him as either Dame Prince, and the only few who knew his shorter name called him Prince Tsuna.

She smiled happily. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luce. Those in court refer to me as Luce Giglio Nero, Countess of the country of Arcobaleno. You, of course, can simply call me Luce.”

Tsuna was surprised that she didn’t want him to use her title. Most nobles insisted that their titles be used, even by him, as if they were above him and not the other way around. This woman was so strange. “I-If that’s what you want.”

“It is. Now I have a message for you.” Luce moved her hand around her stomach to comfort her unborn child.

“From who?” Tsuna was certain that he hadn’t met Luce before, so it was odd that she would have a message for him.

“Your fiance.” Luce smoothed her dress down, finding that she had created creases in the material.

The young prince watched as her happy smile turned into something else like she was displeased about something. The brunet hoped that Luce would give him some kind of an idea as to who it was that he was marrying. Everyone he had asked refused to tell him. “Yes?”

“His exact words are…” Luce’s face remained displeased, even after clearing her throat. “Darling wife…I’m sorry to make you wait, but something urgent has stolen my gaze from your beauty. I will rid myself of such a distraction at the earliest convenience, so that I may return to you.”

“What?” Tsuna stared at her in question, not understanding what she was said.

“Mainly, he’s going to be late.” Luce still appeared displeased but managed to give him a soft smile, knowing that it was not the Prince who shall endure her wrath.

“Oh.” Tsuna really didn’t know what to say. He was a bit saddened by the news. He was growing anxious and just wanted to get their first meeting over with. _‘It’s like he’s enjoying this, keeping me in the dark. It’s like he’s some mysterious and dangerous being or something.’_

“Don’t worry. He’ll show up.” Luce patted his shoulder in comfort, clearly understanding the disappointment in his voice. She couldn’t help but feel bad for Prince Tsuna. She had been warned that he didn’t know anything and that he was to be kept in the dark about _his_ identity.

“Thank you for taking the time to tell me.” Tsuna was slightly disappointed, but at the same time, relieved that his fiance was still going to come. In the past hour, he considered leaving multiple times and waiting out the rest of the night in his room.

“I’ll tell you a couple of things.” Luce saw the look of horror on the crown prince’s face, sensing that the family had been threatened by _him_. She gave the blond a soft smile, hoping to calm him before she turned her gaze to the brunet. “He enjoys making an entrance. He also seems quite happy about meeting you tonight.” Luce patted the brunet's shoulder. “I know it isn’t much.”

“It’s alright. It's more than I had. Thank you.” Tsuna smiled. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.” The brunet wasn’t going to say anything, but he had noticed that she had been moving her feet as she spoke, believing that it was from standing too long in her condition. Luce smiled and nodded in respect before she turned and joined the rest of the party. Tsuna hoped that one of the maids would bring the kind woman a chair so that she could rest her feet.

“You did really well.” Giotto stared down at his brother. “You even stopped stuttering, while speaking with her.”

Tsuna blushed a soft pink at his brother’s praise. “She’s different from the other nobles. It’s odd really. I felt calm while speaking to her.”

The next thing the brunet knew, the food was being brought out and placed on the tables that were arranged against the far wall. Tsuna watched as half the room moved towards the tables as soon as the maids stepped away. The food was devoured quickly and silently, not a single piece left on any of the plates. He was glad that he had eaten dinner earlier, knowing that he would be too nervous to eat anything during the party.

“I’ll be right back, Tsu-kun.” Giotto walked passed his brother, trying his hardest not to frown. As he walked closer to his parents, the blond signalled to his knights to watch out for his brother, receiving nods in return.

Tsuna watched his brother, who was talking with their father in hushed whispers. From what he could make out through the movements of Giotto’s arms, he clearly didn’t agree with their father about whatever they were discussing. It didn’t take long before his brother turned around and gave him a sad smile, walking towards the nobles. _‘Thanks a lot, father.’_ It was obvious that the king told his brother to mingle and act like a future king.

The brunet stood there silently, watching as the atmosphere in the room became happier now that his brother was no longer at his side. Tsuna watched as G and Asari both walked in front of him, heading for his brother. Both had given him a sad smile while they walked passed, both knowing that Giotto promised to stay by his side for most of the evening. As the two walked by, Tsuna noticed that they were whispering to each other. In less than a second, he decided to focus his hearing on their voices, ignoring all the others around him. It wasn’t hard since he had practiced for years unbeknownst to everyone.

“Twenty euros says he leaves before this thing is over.” G moved the lit cigarette between his fingers up to his lips.

“I don’t know. I think he’s doing rather well so far.” Asari chuckled. “In fact, I do believe that he’ll be here right to the end.”

G looked at him in disbelief. “You’re on.” He quickly moved ahead and bumped into some of the nobles, who all scowled at him in return. The redhead itched to scowl back.

Tsuna stood there shocked by their words. _‘They couldn’t be talking about me, could they?’_ He shook his head, clearing his mind of such thoughts. The brunet watched as many of the nobles started dancing. The rest moved to the other side of the room, where they continued to gossip and talk. There were two groups of nobles attending tonight that he didn’t recognize. The young prince wondered if perhaps his fiance had invited them.

The brunet nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something touch his shoulder. He looked up and almost instantly started feeling uneasy under the man’s gaze. The man stood at least two feet taller than him, making him lean back in order to see the man’s face. He was dressed in a red cloth and a pair of white pants underneath. The brunet also noticed that the man in front of him had a similar appearance to his brother’s husband, Alaude. The only difference between the two of them was Alaude’s light blond hair and this man has long braided black hair. “Y-Yes?”

The man smiled at him, it was a kind smile. “You are Prince Tsuna, am I correct?” His voice was calm and held no malice or disgust, which surprised the prince. This would make two abnormally strange people at the party.

“Y-Yes. T-That’s me.” Tsuna nodded his head and received a smile in return.

“Forgive me. I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Fon Hibari. I’m a Viscount from the country of Arcobaleno. Just Fon is fine.” The man held out his hand.

Tsuna stared at him for a moment before he placed his hand in the other and gave it a shake. “T-Tsunayoshi. I-I p-prefer Tsuna.”

Fon moved so that he was standing beside the young prince and watch the rest of the room. “I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement.” Fon had arrived an hour ago, but instead of approaching him right away, he noticed that the prince appeared overly nervous. It made him wonder what or rather why the prince was nervous at his own engagement. He had quickly come up with a couple of different reasons and after he spoke to Luce, he knew that his first assumption was correct.

 _‘I wish everyone would stop saying that already.’_ Tsuna smiled, though the gesture was starting to feel a little forced. Ever since his parents informed him of his engagement, it was like there was nothing that could make him happy. “T-Thank you. I-I’m a-afraid t-that my fiance is running late.”

“Yes, Luce informed me when she arrived.” Fon lifted the sleeve of his rove to his mouth and chuckled, glaring across the room.

When Tsuna turned to look, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “I-It was Luce that told me.” The only thing that he had noticed was that the nobles were pointing and whispering. “A-Are you a friend of my fiance?” Tsuna tried to focus on the conversation instead of the members of the court. _‘Or are you my fiance?’_

Fon looked down at the brunet, noticing that his shoulders were starting to wince. He guessed that it was due to stress. Luce had informed him that the prince didn’t know anything about the engagement. He felt sorry for the young man. At the same time, he wasn’t all that surprised that his friend would do something like this. It was clear that the prince was trying to get information about _him_ , which made the man in red smile. Luce also mentioned that she had a hard time not telling the prince his name. “I guess you could say that.”

“You don’t know?” Tsuna raised an eyebrow. He didn’t understand how Fon didn’t know if he was his fiance’s friend or not.

Fon understood why Luce had a hard time not giving _his_ name. He, himself, was having the same problem. There was something about the prince that made you want to answer him honestly. “It’s more like he doesn’t like to admit that he has friends.” Fon gazed over the room, making sure that the man in question wasn’t around. “We were all surprised when it was announced that he was engaged.”

“Why?”

“We just never imagined that he would be getting married.” Fon caught sight of Luce talking with the queen. Both women looked happy. “The queen looks happy.”

Tsuna spared a glance at his parents and spotted his mother happily chatting. “She most likely is.” He noticed that his father was talking with a blond, another person he didn’t recognize and was most likely invited by his fiance. The blond was dressed completely in green and appeared to have something wrapped around his head.

The young prince turned his gaze back to his friend...He was surprised that he thought of the man as a friend when he barely knew anything about him. He had grown up without any, but this man fits exactly with what the young prince imagined his friends would be like. “What’s he like?” Fon appeared confused by his question. “My fiance that is.” While he tried to sound like he didn’t care, the truth was that he was very curious about him.

“Well, he’s hard to explain…” Fon watched as the prince slumped his shoulders once again as soon as he had spoken. “He treats everyone differently. As his friend, can I ask you not to judge him right away?”

Tsuna nodded. “Of course.” Tsuna opened his mouth to ask another question.

“You’ll need to forgive me, but there’s a matter I must attend too.” Fon started walking away. He didn’t have time to wait for him to respond.

Tsuna watched as his friend moved across the room. Those steps were so soft that it was like he was walking on air. He spotted Luce pointing at something. He didn’t even know that she had walked away from his parents. The brunet couldn’t see what was going on with so many people still dancing in the center of the room.

“Dame Prince.”

The young prince stood as straight as a board. His eyes widened and his hands started to shake slightly. His mouth suddenly felt extremely dry like he hadn’t drunk anything in weeks. He turned around, coming face to face with not one, but three nobles. Tsuna couldn’t remember any of their names, but he knew they spoke with his father on regular occasions. “Y-Yes?” He was trying his hardest to keep his voice even and not sound as nervous as he felt.

“I hear that your fiance hasn’t arrived yet.” Lord Bertesca spat out the word fiance as if it left an ugly taste in his mouth.

“He’s probably embarrassed about being engaged to as someone as dame as you.” Lord Yaginuma kept glancing around like looking for someone.

“Tell me, Dame Prince. Do you really believe that anyone here is really happy for you?” Lord Kabane didn’t even try to hide his distaste in speaking to him.

Tsuna didn’t answer. They didn’t really care what he had to say. He glanced around the room, hoping to spot either his brother or one of his knights. All of them were already busy. The predators had trapped him. When he turned back, he was the victim of three angry glares.

“You didn’t answer my question, Dame Prince.” Lord Kabane practically snarled out.

“Do you really think anyone here is happy for you?” Lord Yaginuma looked as if he was fighting the urge to push him if it meant getting his attention.

“Come on, Dame Prince. The answer should be obvious for someone as dame as you.” Lord Bertesca smirked, no longer caring what anyone in the room thought about their little gang up on the Dame Prince.

Tsuna swallowed, finding that his mouth was dry from not drinking anything all evening. “Y-Yes.” His parents were happy for him, and as long as they were happy, that was all that mattered to him. The brunet didn’t need anyone to remind him that he was getting married out of duty and not love.

The three nobles started laughing at the Prince. “You really are dame.” Lord Kabane didn’t even try to hide his laugh, despite proper etiquette.

“You should have remained missing two years ago.” Lord Yaginuma’s words came out like a snarl.

“No one is crazy or dumb enough to get married to you, Dame Prince.” Lord Bertesca was still quietly laughing.

“Are you calling me stupid?”

Tsuna stood up straight at the sound of the dark voice coming from behind him. He was suddenly pulled back against something. A man’s chest. Tsuna felt the man’s arm wrap around his stomach. The brunet tried taking a step away, but the man tightened his hold. And then the brunet felt a pinch on his side. “E-Eeep.” The young prince stared at the three nobles, who looked scared, their eyes never leaving the man standing behind him.

“Lord Reborn. W-We didn’t know you would be attending.” Lord Yaginuma’s voice came out more like the squeak of a mouse.

“Why would I not attend my own engagement?”

“En-Engagement?” Lord Kabane stared at the man in surprise.

Tsuna could only stand and listen to the conversation. He strangely felt like he was being ignored and it bothered him for some reason.

“You must be joking?” Lord Bertesca’s eyes were wide, unable to believe what he was hearing.

“Why would you want to marry the Dame Prince?” While Lord Yaginuma’s voice had returned to normal, it seemed like he still wasn’t over the initial shock.

Tsuna is suddenly turned around and his face was pushed into the man’s chest. He cursed his height. He was at least a foot shorter than the man holding him.

“Leave now.”

A shiver ran down Tsuna’s spine at the man’s tone of voice. Not a second later, he heard footsteps quickly moving away. The brunet was a little surprised at that. There was nothing that he knew of that could scare the nobles off. Tsuna had taken a deep breath, only to end up inhaling the scent of gunpowder and coffee. It was a strange mixture, and yet he found it quite intriguing. The brunet was suddenly released, causing him to stumble back. But it gave him a chance to see the man’s face.

Tsuna wanted to pout. He was unable to see the man’s face, most of it hidden by a black fedora with a yellow stripe. The brunet was able to figure out that the man’s hair was black, but that was only because of the two curly sideburns framing his face. His suit, Tsuna noticed, was just like all the others: black. The only thing that separated him from the group was the man’s yellow shirt. The young prince continued to stare up at the man, feeling uneasy under the man’s stare. “Um…”

After a moment, the man lifted Tsuna’s hand and placed a small kiss on his knuckles. The brunet felt his cheeks heat up and he was certain that they had a light dust of pink. Then suddenly he felt the man rub circles on the back of his hand. He tried to pull his hand away, but the man tightened his grip on it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tsunayoshi. I’m Reborn Sinclair, an Earl from the country of Arcobaleno. You, of course, can call me, husband.”

‘What?’ Tsuna stared up at him, his eyes wide and his blush more noticeable. _‘Did he just say husband? Is this the man that I’m to marry? Or is he making fun of me?’_

“Yes, Dame-Tsuna. I’m your fiance.”

Tsuna’s eyes widened, blushing further at his smirk. _‘Did he just read my mind? And now he’s calling me Dame Tsuna?’_

“No, Dame-Tsuna, I didn’t read your mind.”

Tsuna watched as Reborn rolled his eyes, and then he realized that he was simply reading his expressions. _‘I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before.’_ The brunet looked up to find that his fiance had moved closer and that the breeze he felt was actually the dark-haired man’s breath against his face.

“Tch.”

The young prince watched as Reborn stood up straight, a look of annoyance in his eyes, yet his facial expression hadn’t changed. _‘Did I upset him somehow?’_ Tsuna tilted his head down to the floor in defeat. He hadn’t meant to upset his fiance, and yet he had. _‘This isn’t going very well for a first meeting.’_

“Do you want something?”

Tsuna lifted his head to see who had joined them, but all he saw was the back of a man instead. He tried moving more to the side, but it was like Reborn could actually read his mind and would take a step at the same time, leaving the brunet him in dark as to who had approached him.

“Get your hands off my brother.”

Tsuna was surprised to hear Giotto’s voice, which only led him to wonder why Reborn was keeping him hidden.

“Good evening, Crown Prince.”

“Lord Reborn, while you may be engaged to my son, you do not have the right to take such liberties until you are wed.”

Tsuna heard his father’s voice, but the happy go lucky voice was gone, a more serious tone had taking its place. _‘What in the world is going on?’_ Tsuna suddenly felt something rubbing against the back of his hand. He glanced down to find that Reborn was gently moving his thumb. He wasn’t going to admit it, but it felt soothing and it had almost completely removed his nervousness, except something, didn’t feel right.

Tsuna stared at Reborn’s back. He didn’t know why, but it was like he knew that his fiance was angry about something. A twinge of fear made itself known, which was followed by a shiver that ran down his spine. He wasn’t scared for himself, but rather for whoever had angered Reborn. _‘Don’t do anything stupid, father.’_   Tsuna is suddenly facing Reborn, who he noted was wearing a blank expression, but his dark eyes were filled with anger and annoyance. Whatever was going through his mind, it didn’t bode well for Tsuna, even after he had Reborn looked at his brother, who the brunet noticed had his arms crossed.

“Tch.”

Tsuna once again found his hand lifted and another light kiss placed against his knuckles. This time the brunet noticed that Reborn had let his lips linger against his skin a bit longer. He dropped his gaze once again in embarrassment at his fiance, and after a minute of working up the nerve, he looked to his right. His father looked as if there was smoke coming out of his ears and there appeared to be a light blue hue starting to swirl around his fists.

The young prince noticed that the room had gone deadly silent. The musicians had even stopped playing. He glanced quickly around the room, only to find that his assumption was correct and that everyone’s attention was on them. His cheeks were red and if he were to guess, they were probably a darker red than G’s flames. As if on instinct, the brunet took a couple small steps so that he was hidden behind his fiance so that he wouldn’t be seen. _‘Why couldn’t you keep your voice down, father?’_

Tsuna wanted to cry or leave the room. He hated being the center of attention, especially around the nobles. His father, he noticed, wasn’t paying attention to the nobles and had more than likely forgotten that they were even in the room. Of course, that didn’t stop the nobles from talking about Tsuna in silent whispers.

“Who does the Dame Prince think he is?”

“He doesn’t deserve someone like the Earl.”

“It could all be a ploy? The Earl probably has some plan for the Dame Prince.”

“I heard that the King and Queen haven’t assigned him any guards even after the incident two years ago.”

“That’s probably because the kidnappers realized how useless he was and now no one wants to take him.”

Tsuna took a step closer to Reborn, hoping that his silent plea for help would be heard. The young prince took a deep breath, not really caring that his forehead was resting against his fiance’s back. As he stood there, he could smell the strange, strong scent of his fiance, and he couldn’t help but breathe it in. It was strange that by doing such a simple act, he was able to calm himself down.

“And furthermore…” His father continued on.

Tsuna could swear that he felt a shift in the air, though he remembered that one of the veranda doors had been opened earlier to cool the room down. The brunet took a step away from his fiance as he started to blush again. He couldn’t believe that he had gone to his fiance for comfort instead of his brother. _‘Oh god, I even started sniffing him like some animal.’_ That single thought made him blush even harder. He suddenly felt another shift in the air. _‘What in the world is causing that?’_ A shiver ran down his spine and he suddenly felt scared, not for himself, but for someone else. _‘Why do I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen?’_

“Tch…Fine.”

“What?” Tsuna noticed that his father sounded surprised and he didn’t understand why.

“I said fine.” Tsuna could hear the annoyance in Reborn’s voice. “You may be able to keep us apart right now, but he’ll be mine soon enough.” Tsuna looked between his fiance and his father, hoping that one of them would explain what was going on. “Don’t get used to ordering me around, Idiot King. I’m only doing this for my wife.” Tsuna turned a dark shade of pink as Reborn ran his thumb over his cheeks. “Don’t fret, wife. I won’t leave you to deal with the imbeciles on your own.” The brunet watched as his fiance turned and walked across the room.  

Tsuna wanted to shrink into the floor with all the glares that he was getting from the nobles, both men and women alike. He wanted to run from the room as quickly as possible, not wanting to deal with the snide marks that he was sure were to come. His father had walked away as soon as Reborn was leaning against the opposite wall. His brother gave him a small smile before he ruffled his hair and patted his shoulder. “G and Asari have a bet going.” He hadn’t met to say it, but it came out anyway.

“I know, I heard them.” Giotto sighed. “Try to stay around a bit longer and then if you feel like you need to leave, go ahead.” The blond looked around the room. “I’ll get the money out of whoever wins.”

“Okay. I’ll try.” Tsuna watched as his brother walked back towards the nobles.

Each time that he started to feel nervous and uneasy under all the stares. Tsuna found himself staring across the room at Reborn. He was certain that he could feel the other’s gaze on him, which calmed him almost instantly. While he relaxed, it was like all the nobles were becoming scared. None of them took a step towards his fiance. In fact, it seemed as if they were inching away from him.

For a second, the brunet thought he had seen a smirk on Reborn’s face, which caused a shiver down his spine. The brunet didn’t know what it was his fiance was thinking, but it was like his aura was screaming that he was going to cause someone pain later. Tsuna, of course, could only hope that he was wrong.

 


	4. Rotting Cream

Tsuna, the youngest prince of the Country of Vongola, walked down the street, dressed in a blue hoodie and a pair of dark gray pants. Instead of his usual good mood, he was nervous and constantly fidgeting. The person he had to thank for his current mood was his mother, who had come and woken him at the same time as the sun had risen. 

The brunet had barely heard anything that she had said. She had been talking too fast as she moved about his room rummaging through his clothes. He had sat on his bed, with his eyes barely even open, while she had been doing this. From what he managed to gather, his fiance, Lord Reborn, the Earl of Sinclair from the Country of Arcobaleno, was coming. 

Normally he would have fallen back asleep, but his mother dragged him out of his bed and urged him to get ready. As he put his clothes on, he started feeling giddy, at the prospect of being able to see Reborn again. The Earl had stayed for a couple of days after their engagement so that the two of them could get to know one another. The King wasn’t very keen on that idea, so instead, his fiance ended up spending the majority of his time with his father. The time that they were able to spend together was spent in silence. Tsuna didn’t know what to say and Reborn didn’t bother starting the conversation himself.

It wasn’t until he was sitting at the dining room table, surrounded by his family and his brother’s knights that he was informed that his fiance wasn’t expected until later in the afternoon.

After breakfast, when everyone started leaving the room, his mother had instructed him to stay behind. In the past couple of months, Tsuna had noticed that his mother began spending more and more time with him, to the point that it made him wonder if she believed that he was going to disappear.

The door to the dining room closed with a click, just behind his brother who had a worried look on his face. Tsuna sat at the table, feeling nervous about what his mother could possibly have to say. 

“Tsu-kun.”

His mother’s voice echoed through the room, which caused him to sit up straight and focus all of his attention on him. “Hai, Kaa-san?”

His mother smiled at him. “Tsu-kun. I want to ask you something?” The young prince had remained quiet as he waited for her to continue. “Are you happy or excited that Lord Reborn is coming?”

The brunet stared at his mother as her words went around in his head. “I don’t really know him very well, so I’m hoping that during his visit I’ll be able to spend time with him. 

His mother gave her youngest a soft smile. “I have instructed your father not  to take up all of the Earl’s time.”

_ ‘Like father did last time.’ _ It was no secret in their home, amongst the family and those that work for them, that the King was having a hard time accepting that his youngest was growing up.

“I was thinking that perhaps the two of you could go on a picnic?”

Tsuna had to agree that the idea sounded good, though he wasn’t sure what his fiance would think of the idea. “Do you think that he’ll like the idea?”

“I believe that he will.” His mother stood up and he followed suit. “He will appreciate it more if you were to take part in preparing it.”

The young prince raised an eyebrow at his mother. “How?”

“By doing the cooking, of course.”

Tsuna froze from her words. “No. No, Kaa-san. Anything but that.”

His mother placed her hands on her hips as she stared down at her child. “Tsu-kun, we’re all aware of your ability to cook, and yet you never step foot in the kitchen.” The young prince opened his mouth, only for her to cut him off before he could utter a word. “Don’t try to deny it. You practically begged the cooks to teach you years ago.”

“I’ve been busy.” The young prince mumbled out, not really wanting his mother to hear.  _ ‘I only learned, so that if I got hungry at night I wouldn’t have to wake anyone else up.’ _

“Even so, I’m certain that the Earl will be both surprised and overjoyed to know that you had taken the time to cook him something.” His mother’s smile, he noticed, really hadn’t left her face, but he could sense that underneath, there was something else.

_ ‘What is she trying to hide?’ _ He moved around the table so that he was standing close to her. “I don’t even know what he likes.”

His mother placed her arm around him and gave him a light squeeze. “Then you make a couple of different dishes for him to try. I’m certain that he would appreciate the thought nonetheless.” One of their maids walked towards him, holding a basket. “You can always ask the cooks for ideas. They have been informed that you’ll be cooking everything.”

It was from that short conversation with his mother which led him out into the city to get what he needed. Of course, he wasn’t alone. He had bumped into G and Asari on his way out, and the two older men told him that they would accompany him.

* * *

Tsuna was thankful that everyone in the city that he spoke too hadn’t questioned him as to why he had escorts. They also didn’t ask him why his normal city visits had decreased in the past few months, which he was even more thankful for. The trip back home couldn’t come fast enough. The longer they spent in the city, the more G began to worry about his brother’s paperwork. Asari, of course, wasn’t really helping, as he tried to calm the other down, which only seemed to make it worse. 

They were more than halfway home when Tsuna suddenly stopped walking.  _ ‘Why didn’t I think of that before? What happens if he doesn’t like it? Or Reborn thinks that he wasted his time? Oh, what should I do?’ _

“Is there something wrong, Prince Tsuna?” Asari looked worried, his smile disappeared.

“Did you forget something?” G narrowed his eyes, as he gazed down a nearby street.

“No.” Tsuna shook his head. “I just thought of something, but I don’t know if I should do it or not.”

“Why not?” Asari looked confused.

G never stopped gazing down the side street, the young prince wondered what it was that caught his interest. “You should get it now, while your out. You might not get a chance to go out later.”

“You’re right.” Tsuna didn’t wait for either of them to respond. “I’ll be right back.” He quickly ran off down the street to a small little shop that made the best drinks and the tastiest pastries. He pushed the door open and stumbled in, huffing and puffing, going so far as having to bend over.

“Good day.” There was a short pause. “Prince Tsuna, is everything alright? You’re out of breath.”

The young prince looked up at the older woman that he recognized as Mrs. Stella, who owned the shop. He noticed that she looked worried and nervous. “I’m alright. I ran here.”

“Now what would you do something like that for?” Mrs. Stella walked out from behind the counter to serve a piece of pie to a nearby table before ushering the prince to a nearby chair that was near the end of the counter. 

Tsuna sat down. “I wanted your help with something.”

“Oh.” The woman raised an eyebrow in question. “What would that be?”

“If you knew someone liked something stronger than regular coffee, what would you suggest?” The brunet stared at her with a hopeful look.

“Something stronger than coffee?” The woman glanced around the store, making sure everything was as it should be. “Is it for you?”

“No, it’s for someone else.” A light blush spread over his cheeks. “I remember that he didn’t seem to like the coffee that was served.” Tsuna started playing with his fingers as his nervousness started to set in. Over the years, he found solitude in this little place and learned fairly quickly that Mrs. Stella was someone he could trust. “It’s for my fiance.” His words were as quiet as a whisper since he was sure that he wanted anyone to hear them.

“For your fiance hu…” The woman had gone quiet for a moment. “You say he doesn’t like regular coffee?”

Tsuna wasn’t sure what she was going to say. “No. He never voiced his complaint, but you could tell that he didn’t like it.”

“How so?”

“He stared at it like it was some foreign thing that he had never seen before.” Tsuna could remember the look on Reborn’s face when he had first tasted the coffee that day. “Yet he asked for it every morning like he couldn’t live without it.”

The woman smiled brightly. “I think I’ll like this fiance of yours.” She walked behind the counter and went straight for the grinder.

The door to the shop opened and in walked G, who had a look of panic on his face. “There you are, Prince Tsuna. You shouldn’t run off like that.”

Asari walked in behind the redhead with a smile on his face. “I’m glad to see that you’re alright.”

“Here you go.” The owner walked over, holding out a small bag. “Try giving him this.”

Tsuna stood up and took the bag from her. “Thanks.”

Mrs. Stella smiled. “Are you excited about your upcoming wedding?”

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders. “I guess so. I’m still trying to get used to the idea.” The young prince looked down at the bag in his hands. “How do I prepare it? I want it to be stronger than what we usually make.”

“The same way you would make coffee. It won’t change the taste. If he finds it not strong enough, then try using less water.” Tsuna stared at her in surprise. “The less water you use, the stronger it will become. Try using half the regular amount of water.” Mrs. Stella reached over and ruffled his hair, making it stand up even more. “You’ll be fine.”

“We have to get going, Prince Tsuna.” Asari smiled before he glanced out the shop's windows.

“Especially if you want time to get the cooking done on time.” G gazed out the window.

“You’re right.” Tsuna turned towards the shop owner, handing her a few coins. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get going.”

“Of course. Take care, Prince Tsuna.” The shop owner replied.

“I will.” The young prince and his escorts walked out the door towards his home. The brunet noticed that his nerves had relaxed to the point that he hadn’t noticed that he was walking faster than usual. He opened the door and said goodbye to G and Asari before he ran to the kitchen.

When he opened the door to the kitchen, he found that the cooks were busy making the preparations for dinner. “Hello, everyone.”

“Hello, Prince Tsuna. The Queen has informed us of your plan, and so we have prepared a workspace for ingredients.” The head cook, Sasagawa, spoke from where she was standing by the stove. Tsuna moved over to the open space at the island counter. “If you require any assistance or need more space, please say so.”

“Thank you.” Tsuna placed the basket on the counter before he started unloading all of the different ingredients. He placed the bag of coffee on the counter like it was the most precious of gifts one could receive. “Okay, what should I make first?”

“Whatever is going to take the longest to cook.” Tsuna looked over to where he saw Mrs. Miura cutting onions. 

_ ‘I should have known that.’  _ Tsuna had turned the oven on before he borrowed a set of knives from the cooks, and then he really got to work on preparing his dishes. His mother was right, of course. He loved to cook, but he never gave himself the time to do it.

* * *

Once everything was done and cooling, getting ready to be packaged, Tsuna sat on a stool in the kitchen and basked in the noise of those around him. It was like he was a child again, sneaking into the kitchen for a snack, only to be pulled into the magic that the cooks seemed to possess, drawing him into the world of cooking. 

“Tsu-kun.” He turned to see his mother walk into the kitchen. “What are you still doing here? You need to get ready. Lord Reborn will be arriving shortly. You need to be there to greet him.” The Queen grabbed his hand and ushered him out of the kitchen. “The cooks will package everything for you.”

His mother pulled him towards his room, their pace quick and steady to the point he had almost walked into one of the walls.

He stepped into his room and was suddenly pushed towards his bed, where one of his suits was waiting for him. Every piece was black, except for the orange dress shirt. He didn’t feel right wearing the orange shirt as it was a sign of his flames, which were still dormant.  _ ‘Why couldn’t it be white? I would wear white.’  _ He grabbed the clothes, the headed for his bathroom, where he quickly changed his clothes before returning to his room. 

His mother grabbed his arm and then pushed him down into a chair. She sprayed his hair with water before she began to brush it. It didn’t seem to matter all that much, as it was still standing up in all directions, it just looked fluffier than normal. “The Earl will be arriving any minute. You need to head down right away and give him a good impression when he first arrives.”

“Isn’t he seeing the King first?” Tsuna closed one of his eyes as a sharp pain caused him to flinch. The brush got stuck in his hair.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be the first to greet him. Make sure to invite him to the picnic.” His mother patted his head in apology. 

“Where exactly are we going to be eating anyway?” The brunet hadn’t considered that small detail all day.

“In the garden. It’ll all be set up for you by the time you’re ready to eat.” His mother pulled the brush through his hair once again, which caused her to pull his hair as well.

“Ow!” Tsuna pulled his head away from his mother’s constant brushing. “Kaa-san, you know I’m not a child anymore! I can do this on my own!”

“I know.” He heard a soft, almost sad tone in her voice. “I just wanted you to look presentable. This will be one of the few times I can still help you with things.” It was easy to tell that his mother was trying not to cry. “Once you're married, you’ll leave and I’ll barely see you.”

He stood up, turned around and hugged her. She hugged him back and rested her head against his shoulder. “It’s okay, Kaa-san.” He started patting her back in comfort. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He could hear her sniffling, which told him that she was close to crying. “Yes, you are.” His mother took a step back and placed her hand on his shoulder. “You're going downstairs and welcoming the Earl into our home.” She gave him a smile before she nudged him forward.

Tsuna gave a small smile before he started walking down the hall.  _ ‘God, I hope this goes well.’  _ He nodded his head toward some of the maids, who greeted him in return. He spotted G’s uncle, Lord Gokudera, and he was certain it was him from his bushy mustache. Lord Gokudera was accompanying an older woman. According to rumours, she was his second wife. The two of them were walking towards him. 

Every time the brunet had spoken to Lord Gokudera, he had been standing beside his brother, so it was impossible for him to know if the man was simply being polite in the presence of the older prince. The young prince wasn’t about to find out. In fear that his good mood would disappear before he saw the Earl, Tsuna slipped into an empty room and waited just long enough for the Lord and his wife to pass. 

The young prince opened the door and, after deeming it clear, he quickly made his way down the hall. He hadn’t noticed that he had entered the main foyer until he had walked into something. He blinked a couple of times before looking up and seeing Reborn standing in front of him, a smirk on the taller man’s face. It didn’t take Tsuna any time to figure out exactly what it was that he had walked into.

“What has you so distracted, wife?” Reborn’s deep baritone voice sent shivers down his spine.

Tsuna started blushing. “Lord Reborn, you’re here.”

“Of course. Where else would I be, wife?” Reborn placed his hands in his pant pockets.

“I wasn’t expecting you so soon.” Tsuna turned his face away when he realized that he was staring at him, much like he did during their first meeting.

“Oh. Shall I leave and come back later then?” Reborn turned and moved to walk towards the door.

“NO!” The young prince ran and grabbed the back of his fiance’s jacket. “No.” He knew that he was being stared at by everyone in the room, but he didn’t care. “You don’t have to leave.” The young prince felt arms wrap around him, and then he was engulfed in the smells of gunpowder and coffee.

“I’m not going anywhere, so don’t worry, Dame-Tsuna.”

The brunet blushed. Reborn was speaking right beside his ear. “Will you eat dinner with me?” There was silence between them as the prince waited for the Earl to answer.

“As long as it's just the two of us.”

A shiver ran down Tsuna’s back as the raven’s breath touched against his ear. “Yes, justthetwoofus.” The words sputtered out of his mouth so fast that he wasn’t even sure if they had made any sense.

Tsuna could hear him chuckling. “Then I look forward to it.” The brunet felt the arms that were wrapped around him slip away and the overpowering scent that he was quickly getting addicted to disappeared. “For now, I have a meeting with the Idiot King.” The prince turned around just in time to watch his fiance move further into his home.

* * *

In the last half an hour, Tsuna had resorted to pacing back and forth in the hall along the terrace. He was getting tired of waiting for Reborn’s meeting with his father to end and that was supposed to be ten minutes ago. The brunet made a stop by the kitchen an hour ago, only to find that the food he prepared was gone. The cooks explained that it was waiting for him in the garden and was set up in the gazebo. 

After another ten minutes of waiting, he had given up hope of eating with Reborn and practically stomped outside to find the food he had prepared. He spotted it almost instantly, surrounded by the rose bushes. There are dozens of lit candles and lanterns with soft blue flames burning, which meant that his mother had taken the time to light them all. 

It, of course, was pretty, but it wasn’t something that he would do, especially the canopy drapes around it. He was certain that if he were a girl, he would see the romantic side of it, but to Tsuna, it screamed feminine.

“Well, isn’t this romantic.”

Tsuna stood stiffly at the sound of the deep voice behind him. A second later, he was wrapped in a pair of arms, he began to struggle and then he recognized the person’s smell. “Lord Reborn, you scared me!” He could hear him chuckle before there was the lightest touch against his ear. Tsuna tried stepping away, only to be pulled back against the Earl’s chest. The young prince stood there in silence, ignoring the feeling of his hair being moved, despite the fact that Reborn’s arms were still wrapped around him.  _ ‘What is he doing?’ _

“I’ve missed you.” Reborn’s voice was light and muffled by the soft fluffy locks.

“You could have visited.” Tsuna’s eyes began to become wet with tears.

“I know.” The Earl squeezed him tighter and closer to his chest. Tsuna noticed that the Earl seemed to enjoy burrowing his face in his hair. “I’ve been quite busy lately.” The young prince suddenly realized and then turned around so that he could see the Earl’s face, at least what his fedora wasn’t hiding. “I haven’t stopped thinking of you, since the day I left your side.”

The brunet’s cheeks heated up in a dark blush, his eyes never leaving the Earl’s face, memorized by the dark eyes that were staring back at him. “Shall we eat?” A wicked smirk appeared on his face. “The food.” Tsuna was certain that the Earl was fighting the urge not to tease him, and for that the brunet was thankful.

The smirk never left the raven’s lips, even as he leaned down and placed a soft kiss to the top of his head. “I am hungry. Let us see what has been prepared for us, darling wife.”

Tsuna’s hand was placed on the raven’s forearm before he was led towards the gazebo. He wanted to say something about the fact that he had made it all, but he was too scared that the Earl wouldn’t like any of it. The young prince sat down and, instead of the raven taking the seat beside him like he had expected and from the place seatings the maids had as well, the Earl took the seat right beside him.

The young prince watched as the Earl removed his fedora and placed it beside him. It gave Tsuna a perfect view of Reborn’s handsome face, which was framed by his curly sideburns and his spiky hair. A light blush covered his cheeks, as he took notice of the distance between them, which was practically nonexistent. 

“What would you like first?” 

After a moment, Tsuna felt something touch the back of his neck and it wasn’t until the soft caress turned into more of a message that he realized it was Reborn’s fingers. “It doesn’t matter to me. This was all made with you in mind.” The young prince tilted his head down and gazed up at the raven from under lidded eyes as the Earl’s fingers danced against his skin.  _ ‘How did I not see him put his arm behind me? And why does this feel so good?’ _

“Oh…” Tsuna watched as the Earl’s gaze moved from the table of food towards him. “Were you the one who decided what would be served?”

The young prince opened his mouth to answer, only to find that it was like he lost the ability to speak.  _ ‘Curse those fingers of his.’  _ He closed his mouth and simply nodded his head instead.

“Hmm…”

The brunet watched as Reborn began to scoop up a bit of everything onto his plate. The raven had taken the time to cut everything into small pieces, all the while never once did his hand leave the back of his neck.  _ ‘How did he do it?’  _ The Earl ate the first piece of chicken. As he did so, Tsuna couldn’t tear his eyes away from the other, looking for any sign that he didn’t like the taste. “Is it any good?”

“Mmm…” Tsuna watched as Reborn ate another piece of chicken. “Would you like to try some?” The Earl offered him a piece.

Tsuna flushed but leaned forward all the same. Just as he was about to take a bite, Reborn popped the entire piece into his mouth. “Hey!”

The Earl smirked down at him. “You didn’t answer the question, so I thought you didn’t want any.”

“Why offer if you're just going to eat it anyway?” The young prince mumbled.

If Reborn had heard him, he made no move to say so. The Earl did, however, continue to eat as if nothing was wrong. “You are not eating wife.” Tsuna could feel the heavy gaze of the other on him. “Should I be concerned about your health?”

The young prince shook his head at the question as he began to fill half of his plate. “I was simply wondering if you liked it.”

“The food tastes as good as it appears. The chief has my thanks as he clearly outdid himself.”

The brunet watched as the corner of the raven’s mouth tilted up. It was as if he already knew that he had been the one to cook everything. The young prince took a bite of the simple lettuce salad he had made. He was doing everything in his power not to blush, but his cheeks to turn red anyway.  _ ‘Did someone tell him it was me? Or did he figure it out?’ _

As if sensing his questions, Reborn had answered. “You did a splendid job cooking everything, wife.”

Tsuna blushed a darker red, which was probably darker than G’s red hair. He bowed his head, as he suddenly felt shy. “Thanks.”

“I’d hate to ask wife, but while planning all this, did you perhaps prepare anything for us to drink?”

The young prince nodded his head. He quickly stood up and moved to a nearby table where a small coffee pot was resting over a blue flame. He poured a cup of the overly dark brew and suddenly worried that he had made it to strong, but quickly remembered what Mrs. Stella had told him. He carried the cup to the table, where he placed it in front of the Earl. This was the part that he had been nervous about all day.

It was obvious to Tsuna at this point, that either Reborn could sense everything about him, or that everything he was feeling was showing on his face. The raven spent no time picking up the cup. It was like he had frozen in place as soon as the dark liquid had touched his tongue. After a moment, the Earl had downed the rest of the cup and holding it out towards him. “Ah, did you want more?”

“Yes.” The raven’s voice short and direct, as if not wanting him to question it. 

“Alright.” Tsuna refilled the cup and then poured himself a cup of tea. He placed both down on the table, before retaking his seat and continued eating. “Is it to your liking?”

“Mmm…” The Earl licked his lips, which caused Tsuna to blush as he watched his tongue slip back inside his mouth. “Is there more?”

The pink hue on the young prince’s cheeks turned a dark red. “Yes. I made a full pot.” The smile on Reborn’s lips was not a smirk, but an actual smile. It told Tsuna that the Earl did in fact like the coffee. “I also made dessert.”

The raven sipped the cup of coffee, his smile growing a little bit bigger. “I take it that you like cooking?”

The young prince nodded his head. “I had the cooks teach me, in case I got hungry in the middle of the night.” Tsuna was suddenly pulled closer to the Earl’s chest and then it felt like the raven was nuzzling his nose into his hair.  _ ‘Why do I get the feeling that he likes my hair?’ _

“What did you make for dessert?” Reborn placed a kiss against the top of his head.

“A fruit torte.” Tsuna smiled. “I wasn’t really sure what to make. I don’t really know what you like.”

The Earl nodded his head, which made him nuzzle his face deeper into the soft locks. “I’m not picky when it comes to food. I do, however, dislike sugary things. I really enjoy coffee…” He lifted the cup to prove his point. “Especially coffee like this.”

Tsuna smiled, truly happy that Reborn had enjoyed everything he had made. The joy made it so he couldn’t hear his thoughts about the torte that he had kept inside where it was cooler. As if knowing that it was time to bring out the dessert, one of the maids was carrying out a tray with the torte. “Dessert’s here.”

The maid placed the tray down on the center of the table, and quickly cleared away all the dirty dishes, leaving only the dessert plates. Tsuna’s gaze moved over the torte, the crust perfectly cooked and the fruit on top all bright in colour, showing that each of the different fruits was fresh and ripe. 

The young prince turned towards the Earl, only to see that he was staring into the distance, towards his home. Tsuna followed the raven’s gaze and yet he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.” The corner of Reborn’s lip lifted as if to reassure him, which it really didn’t. 

“Are you sure? You look worried.” The brunet frowned as he began to worry about what caused the other to suddenly act oddly. 

Tsuna watched as Reborn turned towards him with a small frown on his lips. “It’s alright, wife. You have nothing to worry about.” The brunet suddenly felt the raven’s hand against the back of his neck once again which had begun to massage the skin. 

The young prince placed a piece of the torte in front of each of them, the broke a piece off with his dessert fork. A soft smile made its way onto his face as he examined the texture of the filling and the crisp crust.  _ ‘I hope that he will like it.’ _

“Wife.” 

Tsuna turned towards his fiance when he heard the worry in his voice. He lowers his fork, the piece of torte forgotten. “Yes?”

“I think the cream has soured.” The raven gazed back towards the house. 

The young prince’s eyes widened at the news in horror and then looked down at the dish. “Wh...What?” His eyes stared at the filling and saw that what the Earl had said was, in fact, true, in fact, it appeared as if the filling had been sitting in a fridge for weeks. “But everything was just bought this morning. I never would have used it if there was something wrong with it.”

Tsuna was suddenly pulled against Reborn’s chest, his head tucked under the raven’s chin. He felt his fiance’s hand rubbing his back. “It’s alright. There’s nothing to worry about.” 

The brunet’s cheeks turned a light pink from the closeness between them. “But why did it happen? It was fine when I placed it into the fridge only a few hours ago.”

The raven continued to rub his back. “Don’t let it worry you.” As if sensing that he was about to say something, Reborn carried on. “Will you make it for me again?”

The young prince leaned back and stared at him with tears in the corners of his eyes. “Of course!” He closed his eyes as Reborn began to wipe the corners of his eyes.

“I’m glad. I’ve highly enjoyed everything you have made today.” Tsuna’s head was suddenly being tilted upwards, by a single finger that is placed under his chin. 

The raven leaned forward, which made Tsuna’s eyes widened in surprise.  _ ‘He’s going to kiss me.” _

“Get away from him!” A high pitched woman’s voice echoed around them.

The young prince’s cheeks turned a dark red at the thought of being seen in such a compromising position. As if on the instinct he leaned forward and buried his face into Reborn’s chest as if hoping that he would disappear.  _ ‘Oh god, this is so embarrassing.’  _ He felt his fiance wrap his arms around him, holding him tight to his chest so that he couldn’t move.

“You can’t possibly be thinking of marrying this waste of space.” 

Tsuna was trying his hardest not to listen to the hateful tone of her voice, as she spoke about him like he wasn’t here. 

“Leave.” The young prince stiffened at the dark sound of the raven’s voice and the sharp edge it had. “Never appear before my wife again and perhaps I shall overlook this attempt on his life.”

“Why does it have to be him? You call him wife, but he can never give you the family you deserve.”

The brunet quietly listened as the sound of heels stepped into the gazebo. He was well in his right to tell her to leave as she was trespassing in the family garden, but for some reason, he couldn’t find it in himself to tell her too.

Once again Reborn seemed to understand his need to speak out and took it upon himself to do so in his own way. “Even if I didn’t choose him. I would never choose you, a venomous scorpion to be a part of my family.” 

After a moment Tsuna could hear the woman crying, as she moved away from them at a quick pace. When he tried to move away so that he could see Reborn’s face, he found that he still couldn’t move. “Um…”

“Is something bothering you, wife?”

The feeling of the Earl’s hand as it moved up and down his spine calmed the brunet. “I was wondering if you were going to let me go?”

“Hmm…” The hand continued to move along his spine, while the other remained wrapped around his waist. “Nope. I think I’m rather comfortable like this.”

“WHERE THE HELL IS HE?” There’s a long pause which was followed by more of his father’s yelling. “WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?”

The young prince could hear his father’s ranting and raving in the distance, which made him frown. He officially gave up caring about what his father thought of his upcoming marriage. His mother was happy and that was good enough, as far as he was concerned. His father would most likely come to regret his antics at some point and then wallow in self-pity, knowing that it would take much longer to get forgiveness from him. 

The brunet let out a small sigh as he rested against Reborn’s chest. The distraught woman’s voice echoed in his head and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember ever hearing, which made him wonder who she was. However, with how Reborn spoke to her, it was like the two of them knew each other. It was odd that, while the two of them spoke, he hadn’t considered it. He found himself kind of annoyed by their familiarity with one another.

Tsuna noticed that not only was his fiance caring and considerate with him, he also seemed protective of him as well. It made him happy to know that Reborn didn’t seem to care about saving face in front of the other nobles but actually cared about him. He nuzzled his nose in the raven’s shoulder, which was responded with a light chuckle and an even tighter embrace. The young prince closed his eyes and was lulled to sleep by the steady beat of the Earl’s heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait, I've been having computer problems. 
> 
> I'm happy to say that my computer will be fixed by the end of the month.


	5. Raging Storm and Pelting Rain

Two weeks had passed since Lord Reborn's visit, which meant that his wedding day was just over two weeks away. Over the past two weeks, there seemed to be an increase in the number of lords visiting his father. Tsuna spent the first week with the cooks learning new dishes since his fiance seemed to enjoy everything that he had cooked for him. This last week, his mother started to join him in the study while he continued to pour over his family journals. His goal was to finish them all before his wedding day.

There was a sudden knock at the door, which caused Tsuna to bump a stack of journals that were on the table, making them fall to the floor. The young prince let out a sigh. The knocking continued and when he didn't answer, it became more frantic. He looked at the door, his eyebrow raised in confusion as he stood up and moved around the table. “Yes?” He bent down and started picking up the books, placing them back on the table.

The door opened a crack, just large enough for a head to pop through. “Prince Tsuna.”

“Yes. What can I do for you?” The brunet placed the last book on the table before looking at whoever it was that came in. Instead of one person like he originally thought, he was looking at two. _'What are two knights doing here?'_

“We're your new guards.” The knight was a few inches taller than the other one and looked similar to Asari all the way down to his blue knights uniform. “I'm Takashi Yamamoto and this is Hayato Gokudera.”

Tsuna's gaze switched over to Hayato, who shared an uncanny resemblance to G, only with shoulder-length silver hair and a nasty temper if the dark look on his face was anything to go by. “I'm perfectly capable of introducing myself, idiot.”

“Umm... What do you mean by new guards?” The young prince stared at the two men in question.

Hayato turned towards him. “Are you daft or something?” The knight sneered making his green eyes turn a shade darker, as the scowl on his face became more prominent.

“We were hired to protect you.” Takashi smiled, but Tsuna could tell that it was only there to hide whatever the knight seemed to be worrying about.

“Who exactly hired you?” The young prince's eyes moved over both of them. _'I know I didn't.'_

“The Crown Prince.” Both of them answered immediately and at the same time.

 _'What are you thinking brother?'_ The young prince closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When he opened his eyes, both knights were staring at him. “I'm not planning on going anywhere, so you can leave if you want.” Tsuna sat back down at the table and flipped open another journal. He was well aware that both men hadn't left since he could hear them quietly arguing. Well, it seemed to be more one-sided from what he could tell. “Will both of you be quiet?”

After ten minutes of listening to the useless one-sided banter, he had given up on doing any more reading and simply had enough. He flipped the journal closed, before standing up and walking out of the room. _'If they can't stand one another, then why did they agree to work together?'_ The young prince walked down the hall, not caring if either of the guards noticed his absence or not.

There was only one place Tsuna could think of going and there was only one person who was going to have answers to his questions. He knocked against the double doors, not caring that it sounded like he was hanging on it.

“Enter.” His brother's voice echoed through the door and the brunet could tell that it sounded like he wasn't in a good mood.

Tsuna pushed the door open to Giotto's private study. He looked around the room to find that it looked the same as always, organized and unused. The only thing that looked out of place was his brother's desk, which was currently stacked full of paper. He spotted his brother instantly, the blond tuft of hair moving behind the stacks of paper.

“Honestly, G. If you're carrying one more stack of paper, I'm going to beat you with it.” Giotto's voice was ruff and sounded really annoyed.

The brunet was trying his hardest not to laugh at his brother's words, but it was pointless as he ended up chuckling anyway.

“It isn't funny, G. I swear I'm not in a laughing mood. If I have to read one more request letter about replacing a bridge over some small stream I'm going to hit something.” His brother's words may have sounded threatening, but Tsuna doubted that he would actually go through with it.

There was a light ruffling of what the young prince easily identified as the moving of papers before he finally spoke. “I'll tell him that when I happen to see him.”

Giotto was suddenly quiet. “Tsu?”

“Yes.” The brunet was trying not to smile at the surprise he had heard in his brother's voice.

Giotto practically jumped to his feet and ran around his desk, wrapping his arms around the brunet in a loving hug. “What brings you here? Not that I'm not happy to see you.”

When there was a distance between them once again Tsuna could see the cheerful look on his brother's face. “It's okay, Gio. I understand what you're trying to say.”

The blond led him to a small couch that was not only a large distance away from his desk but was also partially hidden from anyone who would happen to come through the door. “So what brings you here?”

The young prince could swear that there was a sudden sparkle in his brother's eyes as if he was about to do some kind of mischief. “I have some questions to ask you and I want only the truth.”

Giotto's eyes widened in surprise and Tsuna wasn't sure if it was from the statement or possibly the tone of his voice. “Of course, little brother. I'll answer any questions you ask.”

“Firstly, why did you hire guards for me?” Tsuna watched his brother closely, waiting for him to do something that would tell the brunet that he was lying.

“It wasn't my idea.” The crown prince stared at him as if watching for his reaction.

“Who's was it then?” The brunet leaned back as if planning on staying a while.

“Father's.” The blond's shoulders slumped as he himself leaned back and stretched out his legs. “He gave me a choice. Either I hired them or he was going to do it himself.”

 _'I guess I should be glad that you did it. Who knows who father would have chosen?'_ The young prince watched as his brother crossed his arms. “Do you know why he bothered to do this now?”

“I believe it has something to do with your wedding taking place in less than three weeks.” Giotto clenched his hands, his gaze moving across the room to rest on the far wall.

The door to the study opened and a familiar redhead walked in, carrying a large stack of papers. “You better not be lazing about or dozing off.”

Tsuna was about to say something but was instantly silenced by his brother. Giotto had covered his mouth and lifted a single finger to shush him. He understood that he was to be quiet, but wasn't sure as to why, so he raised an eyebrow in question. _'What are you up to, Gio?'_

“Also, that bastard, Daemon, wants some time off or something.” G placed the stack of papers down on a small table beside the desk, his back towards the princes. “He's been sneaking off somewhere for the past few days. I don't know why he's bothering to ask now.”

Giotto raised an eyebrow and then a perplexed look crossed the blond's face. Tsuna didn't understand his brother's confusion. It was normal for his knights to come and go, at least that was what he noticed over the years.

“Also your brother is currently missing. Hayato and the idiot's cousin lost him while they were bickering.” G moved around the desk as if to confront the silent blond. “What the... God damn it.” G turned and ran out of the room. “When I get my hands on you, I'm going to tie you to the fucking chair!”

“Well, that was fun.” Tsuna tapped his brother's wrist, his mouth still covered. “Huh, oh sorry Tsu.” His brother quickly removed his hand.

The brunet took a couple deep breaths. “You skip out on paperwork a lot, Gio?”

“What? Of course not.” The crown prince turned away from him, a clear sign that the brunet had in fact been right. The young prince stared at his brother in silence. “Alright, fine, I do. I hate being cooped up in here all day.”

“So why don't you just take a walk after lunch?”

“Cause that demon won't let me out of this room until dinner.” Giotto's voice started to rise almost to a yell before going back to normal.

Tsuna raised an eyebrow. “Which demon? At one point, you referred to all of them as demons.”

“G, of course.”

The brunet rolled his eyes. “There's one more thing I wanted to ask.”

“Go ahead.” The blond leaned back against the cushions as if preparing for a nap.

“Why did Lord Reborn choose me?” Tsuna stared down at the small coffee table in front of them. “I'm certain that I've never met him before the night of our engagement party.”

Giotto was silent and chewed on his bottom lip before letting out a loud sigh. “I'll tell you, but you need to swear that you didn't hear this from me.”

“Okay.” The young prince felt giddy at finally finding out the answer to the question he had been contemplating on for months. “I swear.”

“My engagement party.”

“What?” The brunet was so surprised that both his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

“Father invited some nobles from the Country of Arcobaleno, but only the Earl and a Viscount attended.” Tsuna watched as his brother rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he was starting to get a headache. “The two of you never interacted that night, but I noticed more than once that the Earl was watching you.”

“Oh.” The young prince couldn't believe that he had never noticed Lord Reborn at his brother's engagement party.

The door to the room slammed open and in walked Alaude. He spared a glance at his brother, only to see the blond's eyes widen in fear. It only seemed to take a second for his brother to very quietly jump over the couch and hide behind it.

“I'm telling you, he ain't in here.” G walked into the room, followed by the rest of his brother's personal knights.

“Perhaps you missed him.” Tsuna could easily hear the worry in Asari's voice.

“There's no way that I missed him.” G turned and yelled at the other man.

The brunet wasn't sure how none of them seemed to notice him sitting there. It wasn't as if the sofa he was sitting on was hidden, but rather tucked out of the way and yet still in full view. _'Should I say something?'_

“Why did Lampo-sama have to wake up for this?” The curly green-haired lord yawned as if to signify his point.

G turned around and grabbed the younger man's shift. “Because, you lazy idiot, you need to help find Prince Giotto.”

“Take it easy, G. You're going to give yourself a panic attack.” Asari patted G's shoulder.

“Don't touch me, idiot.” G released the younger green-haired knight and spun around so he was facing Asari.

Tsuna was having a hard time not laughing at the scene before him. _'How can Gio keep a straight face when they get like this?'_

“Nfufu... It would seem that you have to get your eyes tested, Pinky.” Daemon smirked happily as he took a step towards the young prince.

“My eyes are fine.” G's voice came out in a snap.

“I EXTREMELY don't get what you're saying, Daemon!” Knuckle's gaze kept darting around the room as if trying to spot the crown prince.

“Hn.” Alaude stared at the brunet.

 _'I guess they finally noticed that I was here.'_ Tsuna waved at them as he was at a loss for words.

“Nfufu... It's nice of you to grace us with your presence, young prince.” Daemon's smile widened, getting closer to him.

“When did you get here?” G's eyes widened in surprise.

“Tsunayoshi.” Alaude's deep voice made the brunet's gaze up at his brother-in-law.

“Y-Yes?” Tsuna didn't mean to stutter, but under the man's watchful eye, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

“Where is he?” Alaude's eyes narrowed, staring down at him.

Tsuna knew he was asking about Giotto. It was hard not to. He wasn't sure what his brother had done to cause this kind of response from his own knights. No matter how many outcomes he came up with, none of them seemed to end in his brother's favour. “Ah.” The brunet turned away and scratched his cheek. “Around, I guess. What are you asking me?”

“We're just worried about him, Prince Tsuna.” Asari moved forward so that he didn't have to speak across the room.

“Lampo-sama isn't worried.” Lampo yawned, plopping down on a nearby sofa.

“Tsunayoshi.” Alaude's voice echoed through the room, making everyone pay attention to him.

The young prince started to shake under his brother-in-law's dominating gaze. _'A little bit of help here, Gio.'_ Of course, his thoughts went unanswered, but for a second, he was certain that he heard his brother's breathing stop altogether. “I don't know...?” He hadn't meant for it to come out as a question, but with all five men staring at him since Lampo had fallen asleep, it was hard for him to concentrate.

“Nfufu... You are not a very good liar, young prince.” Daemon's eyes twinkled in mischief.

Tsuna stared at the older man and for a second, he was certain that the man had figured it out. “That's not true.”

“There's no reason to lie, kid. Just tell us where the idiot of a crown prince is hiding.” G sounded calm, but it wavered in anger and annoyance at the end.

“If you will not tell us willingly, young prince, shall I convince you through more interesting means?” Daemon moved forward so that the only thing between them was the coffee table.

It wasn't just the brunet who shivered from Daemon's threat. Each of them took a step away, except for Alaude, who remained where he stood, and Tsuna, who remained seated.

Giotto suddenly jumped to his feet yelling. “YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER, DEMON!”

His brother's sudden shout from behind him startled him, and yet at the same time, he was happy that everyone’s attention was now on his brother. Tsuna spared a glance over his shoulder to see Giotto standing with a terrified look on his face as if realizing that he gave himself away.

“Well, hello there, everyone.” Giotto was acting like he hadn't just been caught hiding from them, yet his voice sounded scared.

“Don't start that crap!” G walked forward so that he was standing in front of the sofa and staring at the crown prince. “You have any idea how worried we all were!”

“Your overreacting, G.” The crown prince moved out from behind the sofa and was not standing beside the brunet, trying to calm his friend down.

“Overreacting, my ass. Tell him what you found out earlier today, idiot.” G turned towards Asari before the redhead glanced towards Tsuna.

“Lord Bertesca was found dead this morning in his home.” Asari spoke, his voice shaking as if he was angry about having to report such sad news.

Tsuna knew he should feel sad about the death of Lord Bertesca, but he didn't. He did, however, feel bad for the Lord's family. On the other hand, if one were to believe what the rumours circling around court, then his family was better off without him.

“That's not the worst part.” G crossed his arms.

“It's just like the others.” Asari never condoned violence. It was an extremely rare occasions that Tsuna ever saw him lose his relaxed appearance, so it wasn't surprising to see him clench his fists.

“You mean the ones that started...” Giotto stood completely still.

“A couple of months ago.” G finished for his brother, nodding his head.

“Tsuna, I think it would be better if you went back to the study now.” Giotto's voice was firm and held no room for argument. It was similar to the tone their mother used on their father when she didn't want to argue with him. As soon as the crown prince spoke, there had been a knock on the door. “Enter.”

The door to the room opened and a silver mop of hair appeared. “Forgive the intrusion.”

Tsuna recognized the hair that belonged to none other than Hayato. The brunet noticed instantly that his voice lost all of its anger and distaste, now sounding scared and worried. _'Great, now what does he want?'_ Takashi appeared next, the smile still on his face, and it still looked like he was trying to hide something.

“What is it?” Giotto snapped. It was clear that he was no longer in a good mood and wanted to focus on more important things.

“Forgive us, Prince Giotto.” Hayato bowed so that he was staring at the floor, though it looked like at any minute, he was going to fall to his knees.

“We kind of lost, Prince Tsuna.” Takashi scratched the back of his head.

“No, you idiots didn't. He's sitting right there.” G pointed towards him.

“He's actually on his way back to the family study. Would the two of you please be kind enough to escort him?” Tsuna's head snapped up at his brother at the unusual way of dismissing him.

“Of course, Prince Giotto.” Hayato moved forward, grabbed Tsuna's wrist in an almost death grip before pulling him up from the couch. It almost felt like he was being dragged from the room, and he noticed more than once that Takashi was standing a couple feet behind him.

The three of them were quickly making their way back towards the study. Hayato reminded Tsuna of a raging storm, not that he would ever tell him in fear of finding out how close that statement really was from being accurate. Not once did the silverette let go of the death grip he had on Tsuna's wrist.

The brunet pulled on his arm as he began to dig his shoes down into the carpet. “Let me go.” Despite his request, Hayato continued to pull him along.

There was suddenly a hand resting on his shoulder. “That's enough, Hayato. You shouldn't harm Prince Tsuna.” Takashi's calm cool voice was light and yet direct like a pelting rain tapping against a window.

Hayato spun around on his heels. His hand tightening around Tsuna's wrist. “Don't tell me what to freaking do.” Hayato turned back around and didn't stop walking until the three of them were standing inside of the study.

Tsuna was relieved when the three of them arrived at his family's study, away from prying eyes, and he was thankful that Hayato had finally released his wrist. _'He didn't have to hold it that tight.'_

“What's gotten into you, Hayato?” Tsuna could see the worry in Takashi's gaze, even though he looked like he was trying to hide it.

Hayato glared. “Nothing's gotten into me, idiot. This idiot could have been killed or kidnapped again.”

“I'm not an idiot.” And just like before, he was ignored.

“Just because you're angry, doesn't mean that you should take it out on him.” Takashi's eyes almost appeared saddened. “It's our job to ensure that neither of those things happen.” Tsuna could swear that those words weren't really meant for either Hayato or his ears. Takashi turned so that he was looking at him. “We can't stop you from doing the things you want, but it would make it easier on us if you told us where you're going.”

Tsuna's eyebrow twitched. “You know what would also help?” The young prince waited to see if either of them were going to try and answer. When neither of them did, he continued on. “If the two of you actually listened to me.” The two remained silent. “I asked you both to be quiet, so I could read and you continued to bicker.” The brunet watched as Takashi tilted his head down and Hayato turned away. “I get that neither of you want to be my guards.”

“That's not true.” Takashi cut him off before he could continue. “I'm honoured to be your guard.”

“Tch... that's only because your old man still treats you like some kid.” Hayato sat down on a nearby couch and then stretched out.

The brunet watched as the saddened look on Takashi's face turned into more of a scowl. “At least I'm not after my half-brother's position.”

Tsuna suddenly felt like he was the only adult in the room with two bickering children again. _'How did I not notice this before?'_

“Shut up, idiot.” Hayato sat up abruptly and was now staring at the other, who was standing a few feet away.

“ENOUGH!” The young prince yelled, which got the attention of the other two, who were now staring at him in shock, surprised by the sudden outburst. “You're both acting like children.”

The door to the study was suddenly opened. Turmeric walked in, accompanied by Oregano. Both appeared to be worried. “Is everything alright, Prince Tsuna?” Turmeric kept glancing around the room.

“We heard you yell.” Oregano's gaze remained focused on him.

“I'm fine. I'm sorry I worried you.”

“It's fine.” Oregano looked about the room one final time before she turned and walked out without a single word.

“As long as you're alright.” Turmeric smile at him before he turned to leave. “The two of you better get along, or you'll be sent out to walk the grounds.”

“Yes, sir.” Takashi's answer was quick.

Turmeric had reached the door when he heard the storm guards answer.

“As long as he leaves me alone.” Hayato's shoulders slumped before he leaned back on the couch.

Turmeric opened the door. “This position has nothing to do with your wants. It's strictly about keeping the young prince safe from those that wish him harm.” Tsuna watched as a dark look appeared on the older man's face. “If you continue to put your own wants first or fail to protect him. I will personally see to it that you are demoted to city guard.” Turmeric walked out of the room, not waiting for a response from either knight.

The brunet turned towards the other two in the room to see the determination in Takashi's eyes. _'He must believe that he needs to prove himself to his father.'_ Tsuna heard what sounded like a growl come from the couch. When he turned to look, he found that Hayato was scowling at him. _'Thanks a lot, Turmeric. Something tells me that this isn't going to go well.'_ It was thanks to that dark look that the brunet started feeling anxious to the point he considered leaving the room.

Hayato stood up and stomped his feet as he walked towards him. “Do as I say and we'll have no problems.”

“Knock it off, Hayato. Prince Tsuna has done nothing wrong. Unless you want to be a city guard instead of a personal guard to the Crown Prince Giotto.” Takashi takes a step forward so that he was standing close to his fellow knight.

 _'So I'm a stepping stone to get to Gio...'_ Tsuna wasn't surprised really. A part of him knew Hayato's true feelings as soon as he had seen him.

“This has nothing to do with you, idiot.” Hayato's voice sounded more like a snarl.

“It does as soon as you threaten the prince.” Takashi stood ridged as if he didn't know what the other would do.

“I'm not crazy about this either. Let's just try to get along, even if it's only when we're surrounded by other people.” Tsuna sat down at his usual desk.

“Fine.” Hayato turned away from him to look at Takashi. “You want to spend your time with him, go right ahead.” Hayato then turned and walked towards the door. “I'm out of here.”

With that, the raging storm left the room. The choice surprised Tsuna. “Is he always like that?” Tsuna looked at Takashi, who was still facing the door.

“Yeah.” Takashi's voice sounded calm, and yet he was certain that he could hear the worry in his voice. “My dad says that for a genius, he's got a really short temper.”

“You can sit down if you want.” Tsuna opened one of the journals that still remained scattered across the desk.

Takashi turned around so that they were facing one another, though he kept looking over his shoulder as if expecting the door to reopen. “Sure.” Takashi sat down on the couch that was positioned between the door and where the brunet was sitting.

“Don't let him worry you. He'll come back when he's ready.” When he received no response and found that Takashi was watching the door, Tsuna shook his head before he glanced down at the journal. As his eyes moved over the words, he realized that he was no longer anxious, and the tension in the room had disappeared, returning the study to the tranquil feeling the study always gave him.

* * *

_In the past week, father has started talking about giving me the crown._

_I don't know what to think. I should feel excited, yet I don't._

_I've never mentioned this to father or mother. I have a strange feeling that they're hiding something from me._

_Earlier today, I ventured down to the knights training grounds and observed them. I spoke to a few of them about becoming my personal guards. Many seemed interested._

_There was one who didn't seem to care about what I had to say. It was like he had other plans. According to one of the senior knights, he's the most skilled and dedicated. After hearing that, I know I want him as a member of my guard._

_Out of all the knights that I've spoken to, I know that the one I really want as my personal guard is going to be the most difficult to convince._

_If he thinks he can scare me off with a few scowls and trying to ignore me, then he doesn't know me very well._

* * *

Tsuna lifted his gaze from his great grandmother’s journal, surprised that Queen Daniela had a knight who didn't want to stand by her side. It reminded him of how Hayato had no interest in standing at his side, even if it was only for a short time. There was a knock at the door, and just as he looked up, Takashi was jumping to his feet, as if he didn't want to be caught doing something he shouldn't have. “Enter.”

The door opened and one of the maids was standing just inside the study. “Forgive the intrusion, Prince Tsuna.”

“It's alright, Haru.” Tsuna smiled in reassurance. “What can I do for you?”

“I've come to inform you that dinner shall be served in a few moments.” Haru shuffled her feet in place.

“Thank you, Haru. We'll be right down.” Haru nodded her head, before leaving the room.

“It's amazing how fast time flies, isn't it, Prince Tsuna?” Takashi smiled happily.

“Yes, it is.” Tsuna moved towards the door with Takashi following behind him. The young prince was surprised that the knight took the time to close the door to the study.

When they were halfway towards the dining room, they found Hayato leaning up against the nearby wall. The scowl on his face became more prominent when he noticed them. “Took you two long enough.”

“Hello, Hayato.” Tsuna was certain that he could hear the light sarcasm in Takashi's voice.

“Idiot.” Hayato moves away from the wall. “Let's go.”

Tsuna let out a sigh before he started walking. _'This is going to be an interesting dinner.'_

Tsuna opened the door to the dining room, only to spot Lord Gokudera, his wife and a familiar young woman. _'What's going on?'_ Tsuna quickly took his place at the table across from his brother, Hayato and Takashi taking the empty seats beside him. He could feel someone staring at him, and when he glanced out the corner of his eye, he discovered that it was the young woman glaring at him. Tsuna looked back down at his plate as he continued eating and doing what he does best, observing those in the room.

His brother seemed to be going over things in his mind. He barely spoke, unless he was asked a question. His knights all had this strange worried look on their faces, except for Alaude, whose facial expressions never really changed except when he was speaking to his brother. The King was happily chatting with Lord Gokudera, who seemed rather excited to have been able to stay for dinner. The Queen seemed to be enjoying Lady Gokudera’s presence at the table, and from what he could hear over his father's voice, they were talking about his upcoming wedding. The young woman seemed to only scowl at him more as his mother's conversation continued.

“Don't you have anything to say, Dame-Tsuna?” The young woman's voice sounded almost like a snarl.

“Bianchi, that is not the way a proper lady speaks.” Lady Gokudera turned to the young woman.

“Stay out of this. You're not my mother. So don't try to act like it.” Bianchi spat back at Lady Gokudera.

“Sis, that's enough.” Hayato spoke up for the first time since they had sat down. Tsuna was surprised that the knight had called her his sister.

“Stay out of this, Hayato. You're a pathetic excuse for a knight.” Tsuna watched as Hayato sat up straight in his chair and became stock still. The brunet could also see the hurt in the knight's eyes. “You get stuck with someone like Dame-Tsuna, instead of someone as important as the Crown Prince, or even the Queen or King.” It was obvious that Bianchi no longer cared who it was she was speaking to or was in the room.

Tsuna was annoyed once again towards the woman's actions. This was the second time she talked down about him, he had felt lucky that Lord Reborn had been there the first time during their picnic. “Be quiet.” His voice sounded strict and direct. For a second, he thought someone else had spoken his thoughts.

“What did you just say, Dame-Tsuna?” Bianchi's voice sounded taunting.

“You are the pathetic one. You are acting like a spoiled five-year-old, who's throwing a tantrum.” The room remained silent, and from the shocked faces around the room, he guessed they didn't think he would have said anything. “Your brother is greatly skilled and would have never been considered for a position as a personal knight if not for that fact. I'm honoured that he was chosen as one of my knights.”

Tsuna spared a glance over to Hayato, who was staring at him with wide eyes and his mouth open as if wanting to say something. His usual scowl had disappeared. “We may not know each other very well, but I'm certain that will change in the next week.” He flipped his gaze back to Bianchi, who's scowl had turned darker. “Also, in the matter of my marriage to Lord Reborn.” Bianchi now looked as if she was going to reach across the table and try to kill him at the mention of his fiance's name. “I shall be going through with it and you, Lady Bianchi Gokudera, are not invited to the wedding or the reception.”

The room had remained quiet as the young prince's gaze moved over everyone’s faces. Lord and Lady Gokudera, Hayato and the King, all appeared shocked by his outburst. The Queen, his brother and his knights all gazed at him in awe and each seemed to swell with pride as he stood up for Hayato.

“WHAT?” It was easy to hear the anger in Bianchi's voice. “Why you...”

'Be silent, Bianchi.” Lord Gokudera’s voice snapped. His annoyance was clear in his voice and left no room for argument. “Not another word from you.”

The rest of the meal was spent in silence as everyone continued eating their dinner, the tension in the room seemed to settle only towards the last bite. At the end of the meal, Lord Gokudera gave his reasons for his family to take their leave, and, from the look, Tsuna saw in his eyes when Bianchi was going to voice her complaint, silenced her instantly.

It was clear that she knew that she was in trouble. Tsuna watched her turn her gaze towards G and Hayato in an almost pleading silent cry for help that went unanswered. She let herself be forced up and dragged out of the room. Tsuna could swear that he heard Lord Gokudera say something about the trouble she was in and the extensive amount of alcohol that she had consumed prior to their visit.

With the visitors gone, Tsuna took his leave from the dining room before anyone could stop him. He didn't know if Hayato and Takashi were following him, but at the moment, he just wanted the comfort of his own room. He entered his bedroom, letting out a sigh from the comfort the room gave him.

“Prince Tsuna.”

Tsuna turned around to find Hayato and Takashi standing in the doorway of the room. “Yes?” He knew he shouldn't have been surprised that they followed him, and yet he was.

“May we come in?” Takashi was the one asking, but it was clear that Hayato had wanted to say something as well.

“Yes. Come in.” Tsuna moved towards the fireplace that remained unlit. It was still quite warm outside. He sat down on a nearby chair. “You can sit down.” Takashi sat down on a nearby couch while Hayato remained standing in front of him. “What's the matter, Hayato?”

“I owe you an apology.” Tsuna was surprised. “I was wrong. I based my opinion on you because of the rumours I had heard through the years from those in the court. I wasn't expecting you to stand up for me at dinner. I'm quite used to her slender, I just never imagined she would speak like that in front of the royal family.” Hayato looked away. “I'll protect you just as my half-brother protects the crown prince.” Tsuna noticed a light pink hue on the silverette's cheeks.

“Aww... We're all friends again.” Takashi was suddenly pulling them each up from their seats and into a group hug.

“What the hell do you think you're doing, idiot?” Hayato was suddenly struggling in Takashi's grip, but it didn't seem to be doing any good. “Let me go and release, Prince Tsuna.”

“Haha!” Takashi laughed happily.

 _'I feel like we could be friends.'_ Tsuna couldn't help but smile in reassurance as the two bickered.

The two of them continued to bicker and, at some point, Takashi had let both of them go, transitioning to the two knights having a one-sided argument. Tsuna couldn't help but smile as he watched the two. It was like he understood what his brother had gone through when G and Asari had first become his knights. Unsure as to how long the two would stand around arguing, he sat near the fireplace and waited.

Eventually, the two stopped their argument and sat down on the nearby recliners, where they started acting like respectable men their own age. The three of them sat up talking until they began dozing off and then deemed it time to retired for the night. Once the two had left for their own rooms just down the hall, compared to their old rooms amongst the other knights, Tsuna changed his clothes and stared out his window for a little while.

He stayed there, despite how tired he was taking the time to memorize his surroundings as there would be little time to enjoy it in the coming weeks. As he laid on his bed, Tsuna wondered if he had done the right thing in angering the young woman, Bianchi. He was certain that Hayato had done nothing for her to say such things, especially to be treated as such in front of his family. He was proud that he had stood up for the knight, of course, but something in the back of his mind told him that today wasn't going to be the last time he saw or heard her speaking out against him.

 


	6. Perfect day for a Wedding

Tsuna sat outside on the veranda, letting the cool breeze relax him. His brain was racing and going over everything he needed to know for his wedding, which was taking place the next day at high noon. 

He released out a puff of air and then watched as it disappeared. The nights had been getting cooler as winter started to make its appearance. The young prince rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm them up as if to chase away the chill. It made him wonder what his new home was going to be like and if it got as cold as it did here. 

His grandfather's journal lay beside him on the bench. It didn't hold as much information about the Country of Arcobaleno as he had hoped. It made him nervous and curious about all the different things he would be able to experience. He hoped that his grandfather, Timoteo, would be at his wedding so that he could speak with him before he left the country.

The door clicked behind him. “You weren't in the study, so I figured that you would be out here.” Giotto lifted their grandfather's journal before he sat down on the bench beside him. “How long have you been out here?”

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders. “Couple of hours, maybe. I don't really know.”

His brother leaned back and stretched out his legs so that he was propped up against the building. “You should get some sleep.”

The young prince rubbed his arms. “I'm too nervous to sleep.” He didn't have to look at his brother to see the worried look on his face. “Tomorrow.” He paused as if he didn't believe it himself. “The wedding is tomorrow.”

The crown prince simply answered “Yes, it is” as he stared out at the garden.

Tsuna gazed in the direction where the garden was placed and the last time he had been alone with his fiancee. After the meal they shared together, it was like his father became obsessed with keeping them within arms reach.

“It'll be alright. From what I've seen, Lord Reborn is quite taken with you.” His brother let out a long sigh. “There's no point in worrying about things that haven't happened yet.” Giotto stands up and reached his hand out to help him up. “Come on, let's get some sleep.”

Tsuna smiled as he took his brother's hand. “Thanks.” He stumbled forward but was able to catch himself before he fell into his brothers. 

“Are you alright?” The crown prince held out his other arm.

“Yes, my foot just went to sleep.” The brunet smiled at his brother, who smiled in return before the two started walking inside. “Any news yet?”

Giotto shook his hand. “Not yet. The King says that he will make the final decision in the morning.”

“It's alright, I was only curious.” The two of them walked up the stairs to the second floor.

“Remember, Tsu-kun, it’s alright to be curious, but that curiosity can get you into trouble.” Giotto patted his back. 

“Giotto.” Tsuna turned to see Alaude standing in the middle of the hallway.

“I was just on my way to bed.” Giotto began walking towards his husband, who had a slight smile on his face. “Get some sleep, Tsu-kun. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.” The young prince watched his brother and brother-in-law walk away before he turned and walked to his room. As the heat in his home chased away the cold from his skin, he started to feel sleepy and rest sounded like a good idea. 

* * *

Tsuna's eyes opened just as his bedroom door was slammed open and closed. He was able to catch the scent of flowers and could hear the rustling of cloth against the carpet. He closed his eyes, hoping that he would fall back asleep and black out the bit of light that was streaming through the window. That, of course, didn't happen since the curtains were suddenly pulled open and flooding the entire room with sunlight. Tsuna groaned as he began pulling on his sheets to bury himself under them.

“Come on, Tsu-kun, it's time to get ready.” His mother's voice sounded more than a little strained. It was if she was trying not to cry.

Tsuna leaned forward so he was resting on his forearms. “The wedding isn't until noon. I can sleep a bit longer.” He collapsed back down on the bed. “It won't take me that long to prepare.”

“Tsu-kun.” His mother moved closer to his bed. “There's only an hour before your going to be walking down the aisle.”

“What?” Tsuna's eyes opened wide, surprised that he had slept so long and that no one came to wake him earlier.

“Hurry, Tsu-kun. You need to bathe before you get dressed.” His mother quickly rushed into his bathroom and, a few minutes later, she was walking out just as he placed his feet on the cold floor. “Your bath is ready. Tsu-kun, you must hurry!”

The young prince stood up and began walking towards the bathroom. He let out a yawn as he passed his mother who was busying herself, as she moved about. He closed the bathroom door and locked it with a quick snap of his wrist.

He got undressed, discarding his clothes into the basket behind the door. He moved quickly climbed into the tub and that was when he noticed the flower petals floating along the top of the water.  _ 'Why did she add flower petals?' _ He did his best not to groan, knowing that his skin and hair was going to have a flowery scent.  _ 'Gio-nii, if I find out that you weren't subjected to this as well, I'll scream.'  _ He quickly washed his hair, doing his best not to get any of the petals stuck in his hair or the water in his eyes.

There was suddenly a knock at the door. He let out a sigh as he rinsed out his hair one final time before he got out of the tub and getting dried off. He wrapped himself up in a towel since he hadn't the time to grab his clothes on his way to the bathroom. There was another knock at the door, only this one was much harder and didn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

_ 'You'd think I've been here for hours.'  _ He opened the door. “What?” He hadn't meant to sound so snappish, but the continuous knocking was getting annoying.

His father didn't seem to notice the change in his tone as he stood shocked in front of the door with his fist raised as if he was about to knock again. Tsuna didn't get a chance to say anything else, before his father seemed to snap out of shock, pulling him into a hug. “I'm going to miss you, my Tuna-fish.”

The young prince patted his father's back. “I'm going to miss you both as well.”

“Dear, Tsu-kun needs to get dressed. We're running out of time.” His mother's voice had a sharp and direct tone to it as she placed her hands on her hips. “Dear, why don't you go and tend to the guests?”

His father seemed reluctant to release him. “Congratulations, my Tuna-fish.”

“Thank you, father.” The young prince gave his father one more pat on the back. The King finally released him and walked towards the door. “I'll see you both downstairs.”

“You need to get dressed quickly, Tsu-kun.” His mother moved about his room as if trying to keep herself busy. “Your clothes are in your closet.”

Tsuna moved towards his closet and almost tripped over his own feet in his haste. He grabbed his suit from the back of the closet door before walking back to the bathroom and getting dressed. When he stepped back into his room, he found his mother sitting and looking out the window while she waited for him. 

The Queen turned towards him and then she was on her feet in less than a minute. “Hurry and put your shoes on. I still need to try and do something with your hair.” She ushered him towards a nearby chair where his shoes were already waiting for him. 

Once his shoes were tied, his mother had begun brushing his hair, carefully so that she wasn't pulling it. After a few minutes of her moving his hair around, she spoke up. “I don't think I'll be able to do anything with your hair, it refuses to stay where I've placed it.” She then sighed. “Why couldn't your hair by straight like mine?” Before he could answer, his mother was facing him. “It's time that we head downstairs.” She gave him one final look over before nodding. “Are you ready?”

The brunet gave her a small smile. “I think so.”

His mother smiled in return before she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. “I'm so proud of you, Tsu-kun. I'm certain that you will learn  to care and love him.”

“I'm sure that you’re right.” He hugged his mother one final time. “Shouldn't we head down?”

The Queen took a step back as tears began to form in her eyes. “Yes, you’re right. We can't leave Lord Reborn and the guests waiting.”

Tsuna followed his mother out of the room and down to the main floor where he could already hear the guests talking. Each step that brought him closer to his future husband seemed to calm his nerves to the point that he was getting excited to see him. When he reached the main floor he was expecting the guests to start teasing and ridiculing him, but it never happened. 

The young prince looked around the room and saw all the scared looks on the guests faces.  _ 'What are they so scared of?'  _ He started walking around the room looking for a quiet corner he could stay in until it was time for the wedding service to start. As he passed by a nearby window, something seemed to flash in the corner of his eyes. He glanced out the window but didn't see anything out of the ordinary that would cause a flash. 

“Hi, Tsuna.” The young prince turned towards the voice and was pulled into a hug. Once pushed back, he found himself facing his cousin Dino. “Congratulations on your engagement and wedding. Sorry, I couldn't be here for the announcement, but I kind of broke my ankle and I wasn't allowed out of the house.”

Tsuna wasn't surprised by the news. His uncle had sent him a letter congratulating him and going on to explain why they couldn't attend his engagement party. “It's alright. Is your ankle better?”

“Yup. I've had no problems walking around.” Dino smiled happily.

The young prince looked over his cousin, finding Dino's normally straight hair a little messed up, his suit appeared as if it had seen better days.  _ 'Is that blood running down the side of his head?' _

“Humph. So you tripping as you walked up the front stairs three times was no problem?” Giotto stepped towards them. 

Dino laughed. “As you can see I'm still in one piece, so no worries.”

The brunet sweatdropped at his cousin's response. “Well, as long as you're okay.”

“Come on, Tsuna, let's move out of the way.” Dino placed his hand on the young prince's shoulder and began to guide him towards a nearby window. Well, that was probably the plan, instead, Dino tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. 

“Dino, are you alright?” Tsuna rushed forward to ensure his cousin didn't hit his head on anything.

“Idiot.” Giotto moved forward to help their cousin up. 

Tsuna placed his hand on his cousin's arm at the same time as his brother did and both of them lifted him up off of the floor. “Come on, Dino, let's get you up on your feet.”

“Ha ha.” Dino laughed slightly as he moved to get up.

The three of them took part in a light conversation. Dino's surprise arrival was Giotto's topic of choice since no one knew that he would be attending, including his father and his attendants. His brother gave their cousin a lecture about his immature behaviour and how everyone would be worried about him, especially because he is accident prone. Dino's excitement about being here quickly disappeared as if he was reflecting on his decision of not telling anyone.

_ 'I guess we should be glad that he made it in one piece.' _ Tsuna had been enjoying his time talking with his cousin, but it wasn't long before he saw his mother walking towards him as the lords and ladies in attendance were beginning to move out towards the garden. “I guess it's time?”

The Queen smiled slightly. “It is.” She nodded her head towards the crown prince and the Chiavarone prince.

Tsuna was suddenly pulled into a hug. “It'll be fine, just breathe.” Giotto's voice was light and sounded almost sad. 

“We're here for you.” Dino ruffled his hair. “Come on, Giotto, let's go and find ourselves a seat.”

The brunet watched as his cousin started pulling his brother out into the garden. Dino's excitement seemed to be returning as he started acting like a child, visiting the garden for the first time. Tsuna took a deep breath before following his mother through the door and entered the garden himself. At some point, his hands began to sweat and it took everything he had to not wipe them on his pants. 

He turned the next corner and entered into the larger expansion of the garden, where his mother held afternoon tea with her close friends. The brunet stared in awe at the romantic feel the decorations gave the relaxed atmosphere the garden always held. The white flowers were in full bloom, and each blossom spread wide as if guiding him into some distant world. The trees were decorated with what appeared to be rows of orange and yellow flames, giving the illusion of a long ribbon.

The brunet found himself moving forward and, as he stepped under a low hanging branch, he caught sight of a single man with his back facing him. If it wasn't for the fedora sitting on the top of the man's head, it would have been impossible to tell who it was. “Lord Reborn.” Although his voice was soft as a whisper, it was like he had yelled it, when the darkly dressed man turned towards him. Tsuna noticed that his fedora was tilted to hide away half of his face from view. He wasn't sure why, but the Earl looked amused about something if the twitch of the corner of his lip was any indication. 

The Earl remained where he was standing with his hands tucked in the pockets of his pants, making him look completely calm. The young prince moved a bit faster, not wanting to keep his fiance waiting. A small smile made its way onto his face as he got closer to the Earl.

“What took you so long?”

Tsuna stopped and stared at him. He felt as if he had been slapped. “I, ah...” The last thing he ever expected was for his future husband to be angry with him, especially when each time they had met he had been caring and gentle.

“Can't you speak?” After a moment of silence. “Actually, don't.”

Tsuna's eyes began to tear up at the rude way that the Earl was speaking to him.

“Hey!” Suddenly, a blond came out from behind a nearby tree and, shortly after, Lord Fon walked towards them.

“Good day, Prince Tsuna.” The young prince merely nodded his head. He didn't want to anger the man who was soon going to be his husband. Fon gave him a kind smile before he moved to stand beside the Earl. 

It was then that Tsuna felt a hand resting on his shoulder. When he looked to his left, he discovered that the blond was standing beside them. “Come on, the two of them are going to have a little talk.” 

Tsuna wasn't sure why, but he allowed the blond to lead him, moving further along the path towards where the wedding ceremony was to be held. The young prince's gaze flicked down to the ground, as he began to have serious doubts about the wedding.

“Reborn may be an ass, but the bastard wouldn't say or do anything to upset you.” The blond had stopped walking. 

The young prince was surprised by the sudden stop and what the blond had said about his future husband. “How well do you know him?”

The blond had stayed quiet for a moment. “At times, I wish I didn't.”

“Does he regret our engagement?” Tsuna clenched his fists and bit his bottom lip before looking up into the blond's clear blue eyes.

The blond stared down at him, before patting the top of his head. “I highly doubt it. You're the only thing that bastard has been thinking about for the past year.”

“Then why would he say such hurtful things?” The young prince turned his gaze away.

The blond let out a sigh and then began to mutter to himself. “Why couldn't Fon do this part?”

The brunet stared at him. “What part?”

The blond stared at him like he had grown a second head or forgot that he was standing beside him. “Nothing, don't worry about it. Just forget everything. Go and get hitched.”

Tsuna was then pushed towards the path and yet he felt a bit confused. Lord Reborn was still with Fon and he was certain that he hadn't seen them walk past. “But...”

“Nope, I don't want to hear it. Now off you go.” 

Tsuna felt a light pressure along the base of his spine pushing him forward along the path. He began walking but turned slightly to stare back at the blond in question. “Do you know something I don't?” The blond merely smiled at him in response. “Can I at least get your name?”

“Colonnello.” The blond then began to shoo him forward.

The brunet raised an eyebrow at him, before turning and walking down the path, leaving whatever was going on with Lord Reborn to Fon. As he entered the next clearing, he saw rows of the wedding guests, waiting, and surprisingly, none of them were mumbling about how long it had taken him to get here.

His eyes moved over the guests. He spotted the King and Queen at the front. His brother sat beside his father, with Alaude on his other side. Tsuna could only imagine the look on his brother-in-law's face for having to be so close to other people. Dino was sitting beside his mother and in what looked to be the farthest spot away from where the ceremony was going to take place. His brother's knights along with Takashi and Hayato were spread out and off to the sides. They had a clear view to everything and everyone. Strangely, the only ones he couldn't see were G and Asari. 

“You need to start walking.” G's voice was quiet and obviously only meant for his ears and came from behind him on his right side. 

“You're doing good, Prince Tsuna. Just a little bit more.” Asari's voice was calm and just as soft as G's, but it held a slightly angry tone to it. 

“Go, kid.” 

Hearing G urges him forward brought him the courage to walk forward and pass the guests. When his gaze moved to the front, he noticed two figures standing there. The first one was, of course, Knuckle, who volunteered to marry him off, and was so determined that nothing would sway him otherwise. The other figure standing there caused his eyes to widen, as it was none other than Lord Reborn himself.  _ 'How did he get here before me?' _

He gazed up at his fiance worried that he was still going to be angry with him, but Lord Reborn was smiling down at him kindly. It was then that Tsuna noticed that his fiance wasn't wearing his fedora, leaving his hair spiked up. If it wasn't for his dark gray eyes, he wouldn't have thought it was him.  _ 'Wasn't he wearing it a little while ago? Come to think of it, where is Lord Fon? Why was Colonnello there? Why was Lord Reborn acting so oddly? Had I upset him?' _

“Today, we gathered here to unite Lord Reborn, Earl of Sinclair, and Prince Tsunayoshi Sawada.” Knuckle was smiling proudly in front of them. “I have known the young prince for over the past ten years. I have watched him grow and continuously move forward despite all the challenges he has faced.” Tsuna's cheeks started turning pink from Knuckles embarrassing speech. “When a weaker man would have run, this young prince, despite his fear, never faltered and pushed passed it. Those that think him as Dame and foolish often ignore the things that make him prideful and strong.”

As his cheeks turned a dark pink, Tsuna could easily hear Knuckle's voice getting hoarse. “When this union was formed, like many, I thought it was a mistake. Over the past few months, however, I have watched Prince Tsuna make the most of it and use it to strengthen his resolve. I pray that these two will continue to move forward into the future.” It was hard for Tsuna not to step forward and hug Knuckle, who was having a hard time keeping himself from crying.

“The two will now share their vows.” Knuckle moved back a couple of feet and seemed to simply use this time to calm himself down.

“It's a perfect day for a wedding, 

The sky is clear and the sun is shining.

With every challenge that he will face,

There is no way that we won't be winning.

Our minds might be separate,

But from this day forward we will be together.

As each day comes anew,

I hope that one day we will love each other.”

The young prince couldn't bring himself to look at the Earl's face. His cheeks were red with embarrassment. He suddenly felt the touch of someone's fingers under his chin, before it was raised so that he had no choice to look at his future husband.

“Our future is for us to decide and change, 

no one will stand in our way. 

Ever since I saw you that day, 

I knew that I was going to take you away.

From this moment on, 

you are mine and I'll pay every bill.

I can't promise you that living with me is easy,

But I can promise you that I will protect you with my dying will.”

The Earl's eyes never once moved from his own. With each word he spoke, a shiver ran down Tsuna’s spine. 

“Lord Reborn, in front of these witnesses and the gods watching over us, do you swear to honour, protect, give your complete respect to the Prince above all else?” Knuckle kept his eyes on the Earl.

Lord Reborn's gaze never faltered or left his burning gaze. “Yes.”

“Prince Tsunayoshi, as someone who always puts others before himself, I ask you in front of everyone present, will you care for, respect, govern and offer advice to and with the Earl?”

Tsuna cleared his throat and did his best to ignore the hurtful words that still echoed in the far corners of his mind. His eyes moved over the Earl's face, looking for any sign that would make him realize that he wasn't wanted. It was much easier since he wasn't wearing his fedora, and as Tsuna stared into his dark eyes, he couldn't see hatred, disgust or anything he had seen earlier. All he could see was the same gaze that he knew and saw each time they had met in the past few months. “Yes.”

“In the name of the gods and in front of all those who lay witness, I pronounce you husbands.”

Before Knuckle could say anything further, Lord Reborn took his hand and pulled him forward until he was snug against his chest. Tsuna looked up to his husband to rebuke of his actions only to be  _ silenced _ . The brunet's eyes widened in shock before closing. He soon began to relax in his husbands hold. He quickly pulled away when he felt the Earl's tongue move against his own. 

He stared up at his husband in surprise, his cheeks a dark red, before a smile appeared. Tsuna then noticed that Reborn had slipped his hand under his shirt and rested it against his lower back holding him in place. As if sensing the questions that were forming in his mind, the Earl didn't release him as he had expected. The raven simply pulled him even closer and placed his other hand around his neck, preventing the brunet from moving away. 

His husband leaned forward and kissed him once again, but this time, when he felt the tongue against his lips, he couldn't pull away or do anything to speak of his displeasure of his antiques, especially in front of all the guests. As soon as the Earl's tongue disappeared, he thought he would be free to move away, only the raven's teeth began nibbling along his bottom lip as he moved his hand along his skin.

“Angh...” After a couple more nibbles along his bottom lip, Reborn's tongue appeared once again and pushed its way into his mouth. Unlike the last time, when it moved about, this time it moved slowly, tangling with his own then slipped away before returning and starting the unusual dance once again.

Tsuna was certain that he could hear his voice saying something, but he wasn't sure what. The words were unclear. He focused completely on the way his husband was making him feel and the way his tongue was dancing about as if enticing him to join. After a moment more the Earl moved away, his tongue slipping out from his lips a trail of saliva left behind. His face was then pressed into his husband's chest, giving him some time to catch his breath save him from more embarrassment.

“Hush, dear.” That voice was definitely his mother.

“But to do such things...” That was his father without a doubt in his mind.

“If I remember correctly you did something like that during our wedding.” his mother reputed.

The chest below the brunet's cheek shook slightly and all he could do was guess that he was silently laughing at his parents. He felt the Earl run his fingers through his hair in a calming motion, as he laughed softly.

“Shall we move onto the banquet now, wife?” The Earl’s voice was soft as he spoke beside his ears. 

“Yes.” Tsuna's voice was just as soft as he took a step back and lowered his face in embarrassment, clearly not ready to see his guests faces after the public affection that he took part in.

“Thank you all for coming today. It’s my wife's and my wish for you to move onto the banquet. It is being held in the great room, so please enjoy the reception.” The Earl spoke with a final no-questions-asked voice, which all the guests seemed to understand as they all stood and began leaving the garden. Tsuna felt the light brush of his husbands fingers against his lower back and it seemed to help soothe him. “I need you to go with your knights, love.” The brunet was dazed by the sensation of the fingers along his neck and the name he had been called. “I have something to take care of.”

“Is something the matter?” He looked up at his husband in worry.

Lord Reborn ran the back of his knuckles along the side of his face and then down the sides of his neck. “It's nothing for you to worry about.” His husband then leaned down and placed a light kiss on his lips, it had been so quick that it was more of a graze. “I won't be long.”

“Can't it wait till tomorrow?” His husband raised an eyebrow as he stared at him. “I...I mean...”

A subtle smile appeared on his husband's lips. “Do not fret, wife. I know what it is that you're asking.” The Earl let out a small sigh. “I wish it could wait, but I fear it cannot.” Tsuna felt a bit saddened, he shouldn't have been surprised after their last meeting before the wedding. “Your knights will keep you company until I'm able to rejoin you.”

The brunet turned to find Hayato and Takashi patiently waiting for him. He turned back towards his husband and looked into his eyes, hoping to see something that would tell him what was going on, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Tsuna nodded his head, accepting his husband's words. He chewed on his bottom lip for a bit as he debated.  _ 'Should I? Or shouldn't I? Oh, why not, we're married now.' _ He leaned up slightly and kissed the Earl's cheek. “Don't make me wait long.” The young prince began walking away. “I don't wish to suffer under the scrutiny of the courts eyes alone.” As he took each step away, his cheeks turned a darker shade of red, burning with embarrassment. He glanced over his shoulder to see that his husband was still standing there with a look of shock on his face.  _ 'I guess he didn't expect me to do that.' _ Tsuna turned back around and began walking towards the house, his knights following behind him, one on each side.

* * *

**OMAKE**

Lord Reborn watched as his wife walked away. It was hard for him to do, especially after the way the brunet responded to his kiss. A smile appeared on his face. He quickly regretted not wearing his fedora, though if he had, Luce would have ripped him a new one. Despite her kind eyes and bright smile, she had a temper that rivalled his own. The two of them only argued when she was planning something that was too dangerous for her to do, or if he was bored.

Once his wife was safely on his way back to the house with his two knights, he turned and started walking in the other direction. The queen's garden had served as a great place for their wedding, with how closed off it was, thanks to all of the trees that made it appear like a small forest. He walked passed the gardener's small storage shack, hidden away in a very secluded part of the garden. The idiots were to hold the bastards that had attempted to kill his wife today, that was if they hadn't killed them already.

He recognized a tuff of blond hair that was pointing upwards, looking like it needed to be cut.  _ 'That moron sticks out like a sore thumb.' _ He slowed his steps as he approached. Nothing pleased him over the years more than to sneak up on those who did not notice his presence, the blond and the lackey were good examples of this. He would never try to sneak up on the calm and collected Viscount. Fon always seemed to be alert and always paid attention to his surroundings. 

“Where is he?” Colonnello crossed his arms. “You'd think that the service would be over by now.” The blond went silent for a moment. “Do you think that he forgot about us?” The rain knight turned towards his silent companion. “He did. Didn't he? Can't really blame him though. The Prince was more of a looker up close than I expected.”

The raven clenched his fists, that were tucked into the pockets of his pants.  _ 'I'm going to kill him. Luce can find herself a new knight.'  _  He thought that over for a moment. ' _ Actually, never mind. We don't need another idiot around.' _

“You'd better watch what you say.” Fon spared a glance over at the blond. “I'm more than certain that he's more possessive about the Prince than he is about Luce.”

“Hmph.” Colonnello leaned against a nearby tree. “I doubt that, otherwise, he would have left this problem to us. It's why we're here isn't it?”

Lord Reborn stepped behind the blond, who didn't seem to notice or hear him coming. “Perhaps I don't trust you to do it.”

Colonnello jumped in the air, startled by the sound and tone of the voice behind him. “Damn it. I hate it when you do that.” The knight turned around, taking a step forward so there was very little space between them. “Don't you have anything better to do than sneak up on others?” The blond knocked his head against his. “Like being around that Prince of yours.”

Reborn knocked his head back against the blonds. “My wife is none of your concern.” 

Colonnello knocked his head against the ravens once again. “Then what am I doing here?”

“Following Luce's orders.” The Earl knocked his head back against the knights. “If you wish for her to yell at you then, by all means, leave.”

“Don't think that just because you're hitched now...” Colonnello knocked his head against the Earl's once again. “That you can order me around.”

“Yes, I can.” Lord Reborn knocked his head against the blonds. “Luce said I was in charge while we’re here. I am the one who married the prince, after all.”

“Enough, both of you.” Fon took a step towards them, prepared to attempt to separate them. “We have more important things to focus on right now.”

_ 'That's true.' _ Lord Reborn moved out of the way, just when Colonnello had reverted to using his fists instead of trying to bunt heads again. “These the bastards that tried to kill my wife?” The raven turned his attention to the three silent bystanders, two of them looked like they had been used as training dummies if the bruises and swelling were anything to go by. When he saw the light red hair, it didn't really surprise him. The woman was pulling at strings that would get her nowhere. “Lady Bianchi.” The raven walked forward so he was staring down at her. “What are the odds that I would meet you here?”

“Lord Reborn.” Lady Bianchi paused for a moment. “I can explain.”

“Explain.” The Earl clenched his fists to the point that his dull nails were cutting into his skin. “Oh, yes. You’re going to explain.” She opened her mouth and before she could say anything he continued talking. “But I'm not the only person that your going to explain it to.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. “Bring those two with you.” He saw his fedora sitting on the grass near one of the men.  _ 'Do I want to know how that got here?' _ His gaze darkened on the foolish woman who was crying silently.  _ 'Why am I not surprised?' _ He began walking and dragging her along, not caring if she wasn't ready or missed a step. “Let's go.”

“Lord Reborn.” Lady Bianchi's voice was broken up as she cried. “You’re hurting me.” She began pulling on her arm. “Please, let me go.”

If the Earl had heard her, he made no move to release or acknowledge her, or he simply didn't care. He continued to drag her through the garden.  _ 'I will keep my promise to my wife.' _ He spotted one of the King's guards doing his rounds.  _ 'I will end this quickly.' _ He picked up his pace, to her surprise as she suddenly tripped and ended up being dragged for a couple of feet before she was able to get her footing. “Go and get your king.”

“Is there something wrong, Lord Reborn?” The knight stared at them in uncertainty. 

“Go get the King, the Crown Prince and Lord Gokudera. NOW.” The raven was losing his temper and the guard’s stalling wasn't making it any better.

“Right away, Lord Reborn.” The guard quickly turned and made his way out of the garden.

“No, Reborn, please.” Lady Bianchi collapsed to her knees and began to cry. “Don't do this.” She began pulling on her wrist in hopes of getting him to look at her. “They will kill me.”

“You should have thought of that after I warned you off.” He stared down at her, his disgust clear in his gaze. “You’re lucky that I haven't yet.” His voice sounded more like a snarl to his own ears.

“Reborn, temper.” Fon's calm disapproving voice barely filtered into his ears.

“You'll scare that new wife of yours if you don't calm down.”

The raven didn't have to turn around to see the idiotic look on the idiot blond's face. “Shut up, both of you.”

“Lord Reborn, what is the meaning of this?” The King's voice joined them.

“Bianchi?” Lord Gokudera moved to grab his daughter. “What are you doing to my daughter?”

“Today, my associates stopped three attempts on my wife's life.” There was a look of shock and anger on the King's face. 

“What does that have to do with my daughter?” Lord Gokudera raised a dark eyebrow in confusion. 

“She's the one who arranged all of it.” Bianchi's eyes were glossing over. “She also made an attempt on his life a couple of months ago.” She was all out crying by the time he finished.

“What?” The King stared at him and then turned his gaze towards her.

“This is only here say. What proof do you have?” Lord Gokudera stared at him in anger. 

“These two men were hired to kill the Prince.” Fon moved forward and dragged one of the men with him. 

“Here say. Your majesty, you can't take these hooligans words to heart. They'd say anything to save their hides.”

“Just like your daughter would.” The Earl was disgusted by the way Lord Gokudera was acting.

“Lord Gokudera, if I recall correctly, Lady Bianchi acted very immaturely and insultingly like at her last visit.” The Crown Prince crossed his arms as he stared at the older male. “At this point, I would take these men's over your daughters.”

“You can't...she wouldn't...kill anyone.” Lord Gokudera seemed to be weighing the Crown Prince words.

The raven stared down at the young lady who had focused her gaze on the grass. “Now would be a good time to explain.”

She stared up at him in horror. “Please, no.” 

“If you don't...I'll ensure your death is long and painful.” It took everything he had to keep himself from smiling as he watched as the pure horror appeared on her face. “Now what would you prefer?”

She remained quiet for a minute before she stood up and held her head high. It was like she was trying to retain some of her dignity, so he released her arm. “Your majesty.” Even though she was obviously trying to sound calm and act dignified, her voice still wavered in fear. “What Lord Reborn has said is true.”

“Bianchi, you don't have to lie.” Lord Gokudera had a look of determination on his face.

_ 'Idiot. You can't stop this. You should have paid more attention to what she was doing and not so much attention to sucking up to the King.' _ Lord Reborn was trying so hard not to smile.

“Father, please stop. I tried to kill Prince Tsuna and when I failed I hired these men in hopes of them succeeding.” Bianchi's gaze never wavered from the King.

“Why would you do this?” The King still seemed shocked.

“For love.” Bianchi's voice was more determined than before. “I did it for love.” Her gaze turned towards him. “I've loved Lord Reborn for years and I believe that we would have made a perfect family.”

_ 'Like hell, we would have.' _ Lord Reborn did his best not to roll his eyes and he could hear Colonnello scoffing behind him. He didn't have to turn to know that Fon wasn't impressed either. 

“You tried to kill my son because you loved Reborn.” The King pointed at the Earl.

“When my brother told you that you weren't welcome at his wedding, you decided to have him killed?” The Crown Prince stared at her in question, not believing anything that she was saying. 

“I hoped that I would be able to convince the Prince that the two of them weren't meant to be together.” She turned to the two men, both of them were staring at the grass in front of them. “I had him dress up in a suit identical to Lord Reborn's and told him to treat the Prince horribly, hoping to make him rethink their marriage.” Her gaze moved to his. “I stole your fedora from your room and gave it to him to wear, only because I couldn't find an identical one.”

“I can't believe what I'm hearing.” Lord Gokudera was staring at his daughter with wide eyes. “You tried to kill the Prince twice and when that didn't work you tried to scare him off.”

“Father, please let me-” Lady Bianchi spoke up. 

Lord Gokudera didn't let her say anything else, as he slapped her right cheek. “I don't want to hear it. That is not how you show love to someone.” Lady Bianchi's face tilted down, her long hair covering her face from view. “Have you no idea what you've done.”

_ 'Or what you've done to my reputation?'  _ Lord Reborn wasn't surprised that Lord Gokudera left that part out.  _ 'Not that he had much of a reputation to begin with.' _

“What are we going to do about this, your majesty?” Lord Gokudera was turning really pale.

“Hmm...” The King stared at the two men and then turned his gaze towards Lady Bianchi. “I fear you will have to be punished, Lady Bianchi.” The King turned towards him. “What would you have me do, Lord Reborn?”

The Earl wasn't surprised that the King directed all the attention towards him. After all, it was his wife's life that was threatened. “Make an example out of them. I don't want anyone thinking that they can get away with doing something like this and not get punished for it.”

Lady Bianchi paled at his words but managed to keep her back straight and her head high. “I will accept my fate no matter what is decided.”

“Hmm...” The King turned silent once again, his gaze moved to his eldest son. “What do you say?”

“A punishment worthy of the crime. We don't need anyone thinking that we're weak or that they can make attempts on our lives without consequence.” The Crown Prince turned his attention to the lady in question.

“I agree. Turmeric.” The King's voice sounded determined, but uncertain at the same time.

“Yes, your majesty.” The guard from before walked forward. 

“Take the men to the cells, they will receive their punishment in two days.”

“Yes, your majesty.” The guard walked passed him, to do as he was told. 

“Lady Gokudera, you will be escorted and locked into a room until your punishment.” The King's gaze never left her’s.

“Thank you, your majesty.” Lady Bianchi's voice held some hope that she would be able to get out of this without too much trouble. 

“Don't thank me yet. While in that room you will be secluded with no interaction with anyone. Even if you were to speak to someone, they will not answer you.” The King's voice turned hard as he spoke to her.

Lord Reborn stared at the King and found himself hating the man even more than he already did. He stood there, watching as all three who were guilty of trying to kill his wife were walking away. The one who organized it shouldn't be getting some posh room, especially unscathed, woman or not. “I can't wait to leave this place.” He spoke softly to ensure that no one heard him.

“Come, gentlemen, let's return to the party. I'm certain our absence has begun to be noticed. "Your's specifically, Lord Reborn. My Tuna-fish has been watching for you.” The King turned and began walking away, leaving the others to follow him.

“Your majesty, wait.” Lord Gokudera followed the Kin0g, moving at a quick pace.

“I know you’re not happy about this, I'm not either. I'll do what I can, but there's no way that she's going without being punished. I'll see to it myself.” The Crown Prince began walking away. “Tsu-kun really is waiting for you to join the party.”

“What do you want to do, Reborn?” Fon moved so that he was standing beside him.

“None of them are getting away with this.”

“Leave it to us. It’s one of the reasons we tagged along.” The Earl turned towards Colonnello. “Alright, it's the only reason that I tagged along.” From the goofy grin on his face, it was easy to tell that the idiot blond wasn't lying.

“Then do it.” Lord Reborn began to walk away. “Leave her for last and make sure it's slow.” With the troublesome work done, he was going to enjoy the party to its fullest with the company of his new wife.  _ 'I can't wait to see how many different shades of red I can make him turn.' _ Oh yes, he was glad that he pushed for this marriage.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a review, I enjoy hearing what everyone has to say about my work. Kudos are also welcome.


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